


Ficlet February

by nahnahnahnah



Category: Bleach
Genre: Canon - Manga, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Ficlet Collection, Introspection, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Outsider, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Worldbuilding, acknowledged mutual pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 20,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22564978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nahnahnahnah/pseuds/nahnahnahnah
Summary: One ficlet per day of February focusing on the developing relationship between Kurosaki Ichigo and Urahara Kisuke.I'm not sure how to tag for "two characters pretty much aware of a romantic relationship developing between them and definitely aware of their own feelings just savoring the journey of getting there" but that's what I'm going for. Bonus worldbuilding headcanons incorporated throughout.
Relationships: Kurosaki Ichigo/Urahara Kisuke
Comments: 122
Kudos: 381





	1. Anxiety

**Author's Note:**

> I'm completing a self-set challenge to write a ficlet of at least 200 words every day of February. I randomly generated a list of 29 words to serve as prompts.
> 
> Each story is meant to be at least pre-relationship UraIchi; unfortunately neither one of these characters is the most emotionally open, so hopefully that comes through okay and everyone's still in character!
> 
> They all take place in a single continuity. Sort of like little looks in on a developing relationship.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is meant to take place right after Nel rescues Kisuke from the Gift Ball Deluxe; I envisioned it happening while Kisuke was receiving medical treatment but I didn't ever mention that.
> 
> Also it's kind of about the fact revealed in the novel Can't Fear Your Own World that Ichigo was being considered as a replacement for the Soul King should that prove necessary, which is something I was honestly expecting them to bring up in the manga. As it fit with my existing headcanon, I'm shamelessly adopting it.

Kisuke hadn’t felt anxious like this in years. Even fighting Aizen, he had known that Ichigo would be able to defeat him, or at least to weaken him enough that Kisuke’s own measures would be enough. He could normally foresee the possible outcomes of events in such a way that he was able to make plans, to retain control.

And he had faith, he did, that Ichigo would defeat Yhwach. That was a startling enough realization, that he would have _faith_ in anyone other than maybe Yoruichi and Tessai.

But he had no faith in Ichibee, or rather he knew very well that he would act in accordance with his perception of the greater good.

The world needed a Soul King. The worst had already happened; the original had been killed, if he could be considered alive in the first place. Ukitake-taichou’s sacrifice had bought them time, but Kisuke very much doubted it was a real solution.

Aizen had entered the battle, Kisuke could feel his reiatsu, but despite all his efforts at breaking the barriers between Shinigami and Hollows, he had never become a truly transcendent being.

There were only two possible candidates for that here. And they’d all been trying so hard to keep the one from achieving the throne.

Kisuke felt the creeping dread that they might turn to the other when this was all over.

He’d wanted to go with them. There had been no time to explain to Ichigo—

No. He’d been afraid. He’d been too much of a coward to explain to Ichigo what the consequences of Kisuke’s own machinations might be.

He’d been too much of a coward to explain a lot of things to Ichigo.

His erstwhile student’s reiatsu felt…different. Balanced, in a way it never really had before. Apparently, it might’ve been worth it to press Isshin a bit more to reveal the truth.

Let it never be said that Kisuke didn’t learn from his mistakes.

He’d have a lot to talk to Ichigo about when he came back from his fight.

Please let it be when.


	2. Painting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I realize Japanese University entrance exams are in January. We're pretending it's a very mild autumn day here.

Ichigo frowned as he surveyed the scene in front of him. The sign for Kisuke’s shop had been taken down and was propped up against the door and wall. Jinta and Ururu were standing in front of it, with an open can of paint and two brushes, furiously playing janken. As he watched, Ururu apparently won—knowing those two, not for the first time—judging by Jinta’s completely outraged reaction.

“Hey, what’s going on?” he called out before Jinta could escalate to physical attack.

Both of them turned their attention to him. Jinta scoffed and looked away while Ururu bowed in greeting.

“Good afternoon, Ichigo-san,” she said with her soft voice. “Jinta-kun and I were deciding who would repaint the sign. Tessai-san says it’s getting a bit too faded.”

“ _Obviously_ ,” Jinta tossed in, still not looking over at him.

“Huh.” Ichigo glanced over at the sign, then back at the kids. Not exactly hard to figure out, but at least they weren’t on the verge of fighting anymore. “Well, if you’re competing for the right not to do the job, you won’t mind if I take it over, will you?”

“Really?” Their two voices overlapped, Jinta apparently shocked out of his surly attitude by the generosity of this offer.

“Yeah, I’ve got nothing better to do today,” Ichigo replied, not thinking about the amount of studying he really ought to be doing for the University entrance exams. He’d come over for a distraction from the chaos at his house anyway; painting was repetitive enough to give him a mental break.

“Thank you, Ichigo-san!” Ururu chirped, and elbowed Jinta in the side.

“Yeah, thanks,” he grunted.

“Tessai-san says the sign is to be painted over exactly as it was,” Ururu explained, even as Jinta was wandering away.

“Got it,” Ichigo said. “Go on, I’ll be fine.”

Ururu smiled her shy smile at him and scampered off.

The painting was about what Ichigo had thought it would be; honestly, the repetitive brushstrokes were sort of meditative.

He was a little startled by the door opening and Tessai looking out.

“Ah, Ichigo-dono, I hope the children didn’t trick you into doing their work for them,” he said.

Ichigo smiled up at him from where he was crouched next to the sign. “No, Tessai-san, I volunteered,” he replied, standing and stretching. “Honestly, I wanted to do some studying here and I was hoping that helping out a bit would make it less of an imposition.”

Kisuke’s voice rang out from inside the shop. “You’re never an imposition, Ichigo-san.”

Ichigo could feel his smile widening, and he wasn’t sure if Tessai’s amusement was in response to that or to Kisuke’s words. “Maybe not to _you_ , but we all know who’s really in charge here,” he replied. Tessai chuckled even as Kisuke made offended noises from inside. Tessai stood aside and let Ichigo enter.

Twenty minutes later found Ichigo set up at a table with his materials spread out around him while Tessai made tea, which Ichigo had demurred and then accepted once pressed. Kisuke was somehow seated near him, scanning over one of Ichigo’s science outlines; he wasn’t sure which.

“You don’t have to keep me company,” Ichigo protested, and Kisuke’s eyes flitted up to search his face for a second.

“I don’t mind,” Kisuke said, apparently reassured that Ichigo wasn’t hinting that he wanted him to go. He should know by now that Ichigo would tell him outright if that were the case. “And anyway, I may be of some use to you,” he continued, lifting the notes he was holding slightly.

Ichigo turned back to his studies. “Thanks,” he muttered, feeling his ears heat up.

He completely missed the fond smile Kisuke directed at his downturned head in response.


	3. Hall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did so much research on Japanese High School graduations, and I used basically none of it.
> 
> But imagine everyone else in Ichigo's class/his teachers are all outside.

Ichigo slowed to a halt as he walked through the school hallway to his homeroom. It was…weird. Knowing he wasn’t coming back here.

He thought he’d feel more, even if he’d never admit it to anyone. He thought he’d feel…maybe sadness. Maybe nostalgia.

But it just— _he_ just—didn’t feel _enough_.

Maybe he should have expected this. This school hadn’t felt like his place in a long time. He wondered, sometimes, if it ever had. He could recall how the way the teachers and other students had reacted to his hair and his attitude had rankled, once upon a time, but that had seemed to matter less after Rukia.

Even in that time he had lost his powers, he felt that he no longer fit in to his life here.

He had wondered a few times whether it really would be better at university; part of him was convinced his place was in Soul Society, that that was where he belonged and where he should be making his life.

But a part of him would never belong there, not as it was now.

He kept circling around back to where he was. He would need to forge his own place, one foot in both worlds. And to do that, he had to participate in the human world, and follow through with his education at least enough to figure out what he was going to do to make money.

He really didn’t want to be doing odd jobs for the rest of his life, no matter how fond he was of Unagiya-san.

His mind shied away from the other option. Kisuke had made it clear in his own way that Ichigo was welcome to work at the Shouten. And there was a part of him that wanted to take advantage of that offer, that wanted to just fall in with the life Kisuke had clawed out for himself over the decades in exile.

But it was a small part. Ichigo had always been one to make his own way. Kisuke understood that.

He wanted to be able to go to Kisuke with his own life established. He wanted to make it clear that being with him was a choice he was making freely, not because he felt he had no other option.

Ichigo smiled to himself just a little, and went in to clear out his desk for the last time.


	4. Manufacturer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had an idea that I liked better than this one, but what I ended up writing was Kisuke being neurotic about Ichigo moving on to a new stage of his life. Enjoy, I guess? I'm oddly fond of it even if it is a bit out of character.

Kisuke made things. It was what he’d always done, and he had no intention of stopping. He didn’t know if he’d even be able to if he _were_ interested; he so often found himself distractedly doodling half-plans for half-formed ideas even when he was focused on something else.

But this was different. This was for Ichigo. More than that, really—he’d made things for Ichigo before, though usually they’d been things like portals to other worlds or the means by which to gain more power—it was a personal gift.

A graduation gift.

Honestly, he was getting unforgivably sentimental these days. It wasn’t—so it was a sort of metaphorical ending, but it wasn’t as if Ichigo was going to be leaving, not really. To university, yes, but he’d be _back_.

This was absolutely meant to be just a gift to celebrate his achievement in graduating high school, and not anything so maudlin as a token to remember Kisuke by.

He’d been busy. Distracted by a thousand other things now that Kyouraku-soutaichou was in charge and far more open about asking for—or maybe demanding—Kisuke’s assistance. Absolutely not distracted by the anxious hope that Ichigo would like his gift, would find it useful.

Actually he was a bit proud of it; he’d adapted the Reishi Henkan-Ki he’d used on the Senkaimon to send Ishida, Sado, and Inoue to Soul Society and had created a talisman that should allow Ichigo to transform into his Shinigami form without leaving an inconveniently empty body lying around.

His delight in figuring out a puzzle only could sustain him for so long, though. He’d always been terrible at lying to himself; he could fool anyone else, with the possible exception of Yoruichi and Tessai, but he’d never been able to pull off self-deceit.

This was his desperate attempt to keep Ichigo attached to the spirit world, to _his_ world, while allowing him to stay a part of the World of the Living as he so clearly wanted. It would smooth over an inconvenience that Kisuke knew annoyed Ichigo; that should help.

Ichigo wouldn’t give it up, he didn’t think. But anything to help him stay an active part of Shinigami life meant that it was less likely he’d drift away, and less likely Kisuke would need to wait for him to come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday's prompt: Ichigo: I'm going to go off and become my own man because that's the only way I can move my relationship with Kisuke forward.
> 
> Today's prompt: Kisuke: If Ichigo leaves at all I'm probably going to lose him forever.
> 
> I do love the fact that canonically these two leave so much of their relationship unsaid (cf. "Urahara would have told me already if he could fix my hollowification problem."), and in fact have a terrible track record of communication. As a fanfiction writer, that is a _gift_.


	5. Sector

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am loosely interpreting the prompt word but how could I not apply it to the Divisions of the Gotei 13??
> 
> Frankly this was not where I was expecting to take this story at ALL but hey I'm just along for the ride here. Also this is the longest chapter so far! A milestone!

Ichigo had been waiting for someone to raise the subject with him. He didn’t go to Soul Society without a good reason _often_ , but he did occasionally drop by; he had semi-regular contact with the various Shinigami assigned to Karakura Town, and sporadic contact with Shinigami assigned to other areas of the Human World; a few of his friends and acquaintances in Soul Society had the specialized phones that Kisuke made that could call phones in the human world. Maybe theirs were made by the 12th Division, actually, but they connected just fine.

But for some reason they decided to contact him through Kisuke.

Frankly that was a baffling choice; Kisuke took an unholy amount of amusement in frustrating people to the point of incoherence whenever he interacted with them at the best of times, and doubly so when the person was from Soul Society. Ichigo assumed it was his passive-aggressive way of expressing a hundred years’ worth of anger and hurt at the way he’d been expelled, but there was no way in hell he was ever going to try to confirm that.

He therefore assumed that there had been way more to the conversation than Kisuke’s offhand, “Oh, and Kyouraku-soutaichou would like a word with you the next time you stop by Soul Society.”

He’d asked for clarification of course, but Kisuke wouldn’t say much more on the topic, and in the end Ichigo hadn’t been willing to make it into a fight when his time at the Shouten was already limited by his classes.

As it turned out, good grades in English class in high school didn’t mean he could slack off for a second when studying English Literature at university.

So Ichigo had changed the subject and they’d chatted inconsequentially for a while, but there’d been an odd tension in Kisuke’s expression that didn’t really ease until they’d been saying their goodbyes.

“Oh, I meant to ask, is it all right if I come back next week? I know it’s sooner than usual, but the term is ending, so I’ll have more free time.”

Kisuke had looked mildly startled for a brief half-second, but for all that he was still frustratingly opaque sometimes Ichigo was getting better at reading him.

Then his expression had melted into the most sincere smile Ichigo had seen from him that day.

“Of course, Ichigo-san. You know you’re always welcome here.”

So all in all Ichigo knew _something_ was up when he showed up in Soul Society the first day of his summer break; he had his suspicions of what, which were only deepened when Ise-san showed up to meet him in person.

So he found himself sitting opposite Kyouraku-san, refusing the offer of sake and trying not to get too impatient with the inane pleasantries.

“So, Ichigo-kun,” Kyouraku-san said at last, “I suppose you’re wondering what this is all about.”

“It’s about joining the Gotei 13,” Ichigo said in response. Kyouraku-san just smiled.

“Well, maybe,” he said. “I suppose it might be more accurate to say it’s about your options.”

Ichigo frowned slightly. He trusted Kyouraku-san to a point, but, well, “And what are my options?”

Kyouraku-san gave that disarming chuckle he was so good at. “It would be difficult to incorporate you into the Gotei 13 as things stand now,” he said. “You outclass…well, everyone. It would be insulting to put you in any position but captain, and we don’t have any captaincies open.” He paused and took a sip of sake. “If you were really interested, of course, I believe you know the traditional method of succession in the 11th division.” He paused here and gave Ichigo an amused but even look. “But I’d really prefer it if you didn’t kill one of my strongest captains.”

Ichigo sent back his best unamused look. Growing up with Isshin as a father meant it was quite practiced.

Kyouraku-san winced and chuckled sheepishly. “Yes, yes, you’re nearly as bad as my Nanao-chan for how seriously you take things,” he complained. “Well. If you really wanted to join the ranks, we would accommodate you, but to be frank, you strike me as the exact type of person that would be a real headache as a subordinate.”

“What do you mean by that?” Ichigo growled, not put off by Kyouraku-san’s conciliatory hand gestures.

“Now really, Ichigo-kun, can you deny that you’d immediately argue with any orders you didn’t agree with?”

He couldn’t, and moreover he didn’t really want to join the Gotei 13 like that anyway, so he let the matter drop. “So what _are_ your plans for me, then?”

Kyouraku-san looked a little discomfited by the phrasing, but Ichigo had never been one to mince words and he knew that. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in making your position a little more official,” he said. “Essentially, at the moment our agreement is that you have clearance to fight Hollows in the Human World; that authorization won’t change.” It went unstated that there was really nothing anyone could do to stop him short of killing him, and that he was too useful for that. But Ichigo supposed it was polite not to mention it. “I understand you’re still in school at the moment; however, my proposition is that on your breaks you act as the official Shinigami representative in Karakura Town. This would mean that all Hollow alerts go to you and that you are solely responsible for eliminating any threats. And in return, we would pay you the regular salary for the times you are active.”

“We use a different currency in the Human World,” Ichigo said.

“And will you continue to remain primarily in the Human World for the rest of your life?”

Ichigo stopped his reflexive response and considered. He had been planning to, of course, at least for a time, but he had also intended to remain part of this world as well. This was maybe something to think about, or at least to not dismiss out of hand.

“Do you need an answer today?”

Kyouraku-san smiled. “No, but remember the sooner you answer the sooner we can get you on the payroll.”

They said their farewells soon after; Ichigo left thoughtfully.

He was going to have to talk this over with Kisuke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did Ichigo go to have tea with Kisuke for probably a couple of hours when he should have been studying for his exams? The answer is yes.
> 
> He does not at all regret it.
> 
> Also Ichigo is entirely correct, there was more to the conversation Kisuke had with Shunsui. I may end up writing it; we'll see where the prompts take me.
> 
> The drama over not seeing each other and then having regular meetups/not-dates all the time is entirely intentional. Unnecessary dramatics are just who these two are as people.


	6. Employment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is that conversation Kisuke had with Shuunsui I referenced in yesterday's ficlet. Up until this point, everything's been pretty much in chronological order, but I never really intended to keep to that, so. I guess this is your warning that this happens pretty soon before last chapter, not after.
> 
> Also it is so hard writing a conversation with like five levels between two characters that are both smarter than me.

Kisuke had been expecting the conversation more or less since Yamamoto died. Actually Kyouraku-san had left it a little longer than he’d figured, but the increased traffic at the Shouten spoke for itself.

So he was not overly surprised when he answered his denreishinki to Kyouraku Shuunsui’s voice.

“Kisuke-san, how have you been?”

And that of course started a circuitous half-hour conversation of pleasantries; it was interesting having an actual extended conversation with someone who approached small talk a little like he did. It was simultaneously a distraction from true intentions, a source of information, a goad, and a smokescreen.

Kisuke gleaned that Soul Society’s reconstruction was going well; Kotetsu-taichou and Lisa-san were settling into their new roles well, the actual physical rebuilding was carrying on apace, and their recruitment drives to the Shinigami Academy were working reasonably well, though enrollment wasn’t yet at the point that would fully replenish their lost forces.

All in accordance with what Kisuke knew from his other sources.

In return, he left Kyouraku-san with a fairly accurate general impression of the status of everyone in the human world; he’d actually asked after Ichigo’s human friends without powers, which Kisuke was slightly pleased by. Yamamoto wouldn’t have bothered.

And Kisuke did let it slip that he saw Ichigo from time to time still. He didn’t mention how often.

That got Kyouraku-san around to the point.

“I wonder if you might tell him the next time you see him, then, that I need to speak to him.”

Interesting that he was asking through Kisuke rather than contacting Ichigo directly. So he wanted Kisuke to know, then.

“I’ll be certain to pass that along, of course,” he answered.

“And that reminds me,” Kyouraku-san said brightly. Here it was. “I wouldn’t dream of imposing on you, Kisuke-san; I know very well the debt Soul Society owes you, and that you owe us nothing in return.”

“True,” Kisuke said brightly, which made Kyouraku-san cough in a way that Kisuke suspected might be hiding a laugh.

“Well, I wondered if you might be willing to work with us in the future anyway.”

“Ah, this is so sudden, Kyouraku-soutaichou,” Kisuke said. “I thought you might continue on with Yamamoto-soutaichou’s unspoken policy when it came to me.”

“Given our current circumstances, that doesn’t seem like enough,” said Kyouraku-san, and Kisuke had to smile a little as he thought about the differences between this man and Yamamoto. The old man never would’ve considered an appeal to the weakness of his own position.

“I’m not coming back,” Kisuke said. “I’m quite happy with the life I’ve built here.”

“I thought so,” said Kyouraku-san. “I’m really just interested in formalizing what you already do. Being the official support of any Shinigami in the Human World. And of course of any Shinigami representatives.”

Kisuke’s eyes narrowed slightly. The fact that Kyouraku-san tacked a fairly obvious reference to Ichigo to the end of his request was…interesting. More interesting than if he’d been more direct.

“I think you know very well where my loyalties lie,” Kisuke said, keeping his tone as light and airy as possible to undercut the way the words could be taken as something like a threat. Which was more or less how he intended them.

“I think I do,” agreed Kyouraku-san, his tone equally agreeable.

“Well then, as long as we’re in agreement,” Kisuke said brightly. “I wonder, does this mean I can draw a salary again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It struck me while writing this that this is another thing Kisuke and Ichigo have in common: they've both got a nebulous, mostly-unspoken role in relation to Soul Society whose dynamic may or may not change based on the new management.
> 
> Obviously I've picked that it changes very slightly; I don't intend this to be the focus, so I'll say now that Shuunsui is just laying out foundations in yesterday's ficlet and today's. He's totally intending to try to bring both Ichigo and Kisuke a little more into the fold. Kisuke's well aware of that, and Ichigo has his suspicions. It will be a struggle that takes place over years if not decades.


	7. Week

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is short! Probably the next one will be too, but then I've surprised myself with how much I've written for these before. I hope you enjoy it regardless!

Ichigo wasn’t sure if it was pathetic to think that a visit to the Urahara Shouten was the highlight of his week.

He genuinely enjoyed most of his classes, he met up regularly with his friends, he fought hollows to protect the people he loved which gave his life meaning, and he was able to look in on his sisters and his old man and make sure they were doing well.

He was _fulfilled_.

And somehow it was still the sight of the old-fashioned shop that made joy _sing_ in his chest.

Yeah, okay, that was a little pathetic if he was being reduced to that kind of romantic drivel.

But of course it wasn’t about the shop. It was about the owner.

He thought, as he met Kisuke’s eyes as he came out to meet Ichigo, as he saw how they softened and crinkled at the corners, that maybe he wasn’t alone in that.

It was maybe a little less pathetic, and a little more…expected, maybe. That seeing the man he loved made him happy.

It made him think that maybe he should do something about that soon.

Not yet, though. But maybe sooner than he had originally planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo what the hell was that last line. I had a vague plan for this and you're ruining it.


	8. Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, yesterday's prompt did not actually lead into today's, but was from a little earlier in the timeline though still after Ichigo's high school graduation, but I've realized that they do kind of fit together. So if you want to read them as sequential, go for it!
> 
> It absolutely is sequential with Employment(6) and Sector(5), though. And in that order.

Kisuke had a moment of weakness when Ichigo finished laying out Kyouraku-san’s proposal. He could…not _lie_ , but obfuscate. Manipulate things, just a little bit, to get Ichigo to take the course he preferred.

But he’d promised, if only to himself in that time waiting for Ichigo’s last fight with Yhwach to be over, that he would be… _more_ straightforward and open. Not _absolutely_ , he was still himself and had no interest in changing that much, but _more_ he could do.

“Ah, so you’ve come to seek the advice of your old teacher?” Kisuke said, and grinned at Ichigo’s flatly unimpressed look.

“I’m not going to deny that you’re probably the smartest person I know, but that’s not why I’m bringing this to you and you know it,” Ichigo said, which was a little more direct than even he normally was. Maybe not the best idea to tease him too much, then.

“Well, what is it you want?” Kisuke asked, and watched Ichigo’s face. He shrugged and averted his eyes.

“What I’ve always wanted. To use my power to protect as many people as I can.” Kisuke could feel the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. As many people as he could, hm? A good bit more than just the people that he cared about. It was…nice, to see this evidence of Ichigo’s maturation. “Working for Soul Society helps me do that.”

“And so? What’s the problem?” Kisuke said, and waited, sipping his tea, as Ichigo stared at the table and gathered his thoughts.

“I know I can trust Kyouraku-san to do the right thing,” Ichigo said slowly. “He’s a good man. And he’s more willing to listen, more willing to compromise, than Yamamoto-jii-san was. But…I think in the end he wants me to be part of Soul Society. And I…I don’t want to leave this world— _my_ world—behind.” Ichigo looked up at him then, and asked, “And what about you?”

“Me?” Kisuke said, actually a little startled.

“I _know_ there was more to your conversation with him than just him giving you a message for me. What did he want from you?”

Kisuke smiled a little behind his teacup. He should be used to this; he knew very well that just because Ichigo trusted his instincts didn’t mean he was incapable of analysis. He’d been the one to teach Ichigo how to apply that analysis to his battles, after all. “More or less the same thing, I think. To bring me a little more firmly under Soul Society’s control.”

“So you think we should refuse?”

 _We_. A little part of Kisuke thrilled at that. “Well, I don’t know. It might be worth it to play nicely with them now. You don’t always have to chose the most difficult fight, Ichigo-san.”

Ichigo snorted and grumbled something that might have been _very_ insulting regarding Kisuke’s finely honed teaching strategies. Kisuke kindly and graciously paid it no mind.

“Kyouraku-san is much better than I am at this kind of thing, though,” Ichigo said after a moment.

Kisuke hummed an acknowledgment. In fairness, he was much more experienced than Ichigo, and even Kisuke himself. But still… “Not better than I am.”

Ichigo grinned at him, and that was enough to sustain Kisuke for possibly the rest of his life. “You’ll be on my side, Kisuke-san?”

“Of course,” Kisuke said, and meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kisuke is difficult for me to write because he's analyzing everything, especially conversations, all the time, and how do I show that without getting overly wordy in the narration and losing the flow of the dialogue? Hopefully I'm striking a good balance, but putting these out so quickly means I don't always go over them as thoroughly as I'd like.
> 
> And look, I would love to be able to say this is the end of the little Shuunsui-and-Soul-Society-employment arc, but clearly I have way less control over this than I'd like. Who knows if it'll come up again, but I think I said what I wanted to say about it.
> 
> Watch tomorrow's prompt make me a liar.


	9. Recipe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My self-imposed rules for this challenge were at least 200 words, inspired by the prompt word, one ficlet per day, about uraichi. I never said they were all going to be in Ichigo or Kisuke's POV.
> 
> Also I used to be so good a writing dialogue, but now apparently navel-gazy internal narration is my bread and butter. I'll try to shake it up a bit more in future installments!

Yuzu hummed as she pulled out her recipe book. Onii-chan was coming home today, so that called for something nice for dinner, and maybe something special for dessert.

He’d been doing well lately; really doing well, not just pretending he was doing well. Karin knew more than she did about whatever it was that affected him so much; all Yuzu really knew was that it had to do with ghosts, and that was all she needed to know.

That was all it took to realize she’d be entirely useless to help.

Yuzu gave herself a little shake as she paged through the book. Ichigo was coming home; he would tell them about how his classes had gone last semester, and how his friends were, and the new people he was meeting.

She smiled to herself as she cooked, falling into the familiar patterns. She knew these kinds of chores were frustrating for Karin, but it always made her feel closer to Okaasan.

Eventually she heard Ichigo calling out as he entered the house. Otousan had gone on an errand and Karin wasn’t back yet from soccer practice, so she called back her response and smiled brightly at him when he appeared in the kitchen doorway.

“Did you have a good day, Onii-chan?” she asked, even as her heart settled at the smile he was already wearing. And then his smile sort of gentled, and his eyes went all soft, and that was _very_ interesting.

“Yeah, I did,” he said. “And you?”

“It was fine!” Yuzu responded. “Did you visit with anyone? See any old friends?” Maybe he’d seen Inoue-san; she’d always thought the girl had a crush on Ichigo.

“Yeah, I visited the Urahara Shouten,” Ichigo said, oblivious to her wonderings. “I had tea with Kisuke-san. It was good to catch up.”

 _Oh_. Huh. That was…huh. Yuzu covered up her confusion with a bit more idle chitchat, then sent Ichigo to set the table while she finished cooking.

She wondered at first if maybe she’d misinterpreted his look, but the way he’d said Kisuke-san’s name made her surer than ever that her first instinct had been right. And that was…odd. She’d only met the man once or twice, but she knew of him through Ururu-chan and Jinta-kun, not to mention what Karin had told her, and, well, he was…older. And moreover, he was definitely involved with that side of Ichigo’s life that she wasn’t part of.

That was a little more concerning for Yuzu. Another link dragging Ichigo somewhere she couldn’t follow.

But he’d come in smiling. And that look, when she’d asked what he’d done that day…she’d never quite seen it before from her older brother.

So maybe this was a good thing.

But she probably wouldn’t mention it to Karin or Otousan yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I've screwed up on how Yuzu addresses her family members please let me know! I don't know Japanese so I have to rely on manga scanlations, and those usually translate mom and dad, though interestingly keep Onii-chan and Ichi-nii-san. I did experiment with keeping all references to Ichigo as Onii-chan, but it read a bit weird to me so him being mostly Ichigo in the narration is a deliberate choice.
> 
> That said, I hope you liked the little glimpse into Yuzu's head! I found it interesting to explore a little.


	10. Region

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know I just said I was going to try to get away from doing so much internal musing on emotional states, but here's the thing: I lied.
> 
> I'll try to shake it up more in the future!

Kisuke was going to be a Rukongai brat until the day he died.

He’d long made peace with that; he wasn’t ashamed of where he had come from, though he wasn’t overly proud of it. It was just a fact of life for him; he’d never tried to hide it, but he had never publicized it the way Abarai-san did.

There was a period that he didn’t talk about it, but he had never considered that hiding it per se. It was a mark of the Shihouin beneficence that he was given favor by Yoruichi, but it would have come off as ungrateful or crass if he made mention of his origins or any sort of life before he’d been taken in. And at the time, he’d been wary of causing any trouble for Yoruichi.

He’d more or less gotten over _that_.

But even when he wasn’t talking about it, that didn’t change who he was. And even when he became more, when he made himself more, when the core of his being shifted to a different focus, when he defined himself more by his relationships with the Shihouin or with the Gotei 13 or with Aizen or the Visoreds or any of the other aspects of his life—

he was still a Rukongai brat. And that had left its own mark.

It wasn’t that he viewed himself as lesser, or as undeserving. He’d never have gotten as far as he had in life if he viewed himself like that. Actually, it was more the opposite problem; he was acquisitive, grasping, always looking out for the next opportunity or resource or connection that could be useful for him.

Ichigo wasn’t like that.

That was the heart of it, really. It wasn’t that Kisuke thought Ichigo deserved _better_ , or anything like that. Relationships didn’t work like they; they weren’t about deserving.

But he worried that they were just too _different_. That if they gave in, if they crossed that line, they would both find that their values, their personalities just…didn’t match up enough.

But he’d been more right than he knew at the time, when he said Ichigo knew him too well.

He looked across the table at Ichigo, who was drinking his tea and scowling at his phone as he dealt with something to do with course selection for his next semester.

He’d been spending more time at the shop. And Kisuke thought back to their conversation about Kyouraku-san’s offer, back to that implication that they would be acting as a unit, and he thought that maybe he shouldn’t worry so much about their differences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we have a little bit of progress for Kisuke in processing his own feelings at least!
> 
> I'm not actually aiming at them finally getting together in the last ficlet; it should happen a little before then, if only because the last word on my list is in no way romantic. So don't worry, you won't have to wait through the entire month for these two to actually confess.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the ficlet! Please let me know if you did!


	11. World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The structure of this one is a little different. It's a series of conversations Ichigo has with his friends and family; I kind of like the almost run-on aspect of not separating them out, but each conversation takes place in a different time and place; they run through the timeline of basically the whole fic, certainly the whole thing up until now. I'm hoping it isn't confusing to read through. I did say I wanted to shake up the format a little!
> 
> I did not intend the Ichigo-and-Tatsuki bit to be shippy; I'm keeping it in as I wrote it because I did intend it to be intimate, which hopefully I hit. Just wanted to clarify!

It was a conversation Ichigo had undergone with about everyone he knew.

_“Are you going to Soul Society?”_

Some of them were easy; some were not. And some were…complicated.

“Are you leaving us?” Keigo had nearly shrieked at him right after he returned from the fight with Yhwach.

“What?” Ichigo had snapped, shoving him off from the stranglehold he was attempting around Ichigo’s neck.

“One of the Shinigami captains came by and gave us tickets to get to Soul Society,” Mizuiro had put in, standing back and watching Keigo and Ichigo scuffle. Keigo was being unusually persistent. “He said you might not be able to come back.”

Tickets to Soul Society? “Well, I’m back,” he’d said. So Keigo was being clingy, not intentionally annoying. “Which captain?”

“He had a pink kimono,” said Mizuiro over Keigo’s exclamations of relief.

Huh. Kyouraku-san. That might bear investigating. “No, I’m not staying there,” Ichigo said. “I’ll help them when they need me, but this is my home.”

Mizuiro’s smile had become a lot more sincere after that. And Ichigo had let Keigo drag him off to play some video game he had no actual interest in for a couple of hours.

“You’re going back, aren’t you,” Tatsuki had said a week later, sitting next to him on the river bank. She didn’t look over at him when she spoke, and it wasn’t a question.

“I’m not staying there,” he said, thinking about the conversation with Mizuiro and Keigo.

“But you _are_ going to go back when they call.”

Ichigo frowned. “If they need my help, if they _ask_ , then yeah, I’m going to help them again.”

Tatsuki lowered her head. “Why?”

Ichigo had expected anger or sadness in her voice, but it was disconcertingly flat.

“I have friends there,” he’d said. That wasn’t it, not really, but she’d understand something about his obligation from that. “I have a responsibility.” That was closer to how he felt; she’d accept it better if it was in personal terms, though.

“You have friends _here_ ,” Tatsuki said. There was the anger he’d been expecting.

“I know.” They sat in silence for a while.

“Just…don’t forget us,” she said at last. “You were ours first.”

He’d thought about the karate lessons he’d taken with Tatsuki, about her frustration with him when she thought he hadn’t taken his losses seriously when they were little, about her face when she’d found him at the riverbank every day after his mom died.

He thought about the look and the understanding that had passed between them the day he beat her. The last time they sparred.

“Yeah,” he said, but he thought _I was_ yours _first_.

“Will you stay there?” Chad had asked one afternoon, months later, apropos of nothing. There was no other place he could mean.

“Probably not for a while,” Ichigo answered, and Chad had nodded, and that was the end of it.

“What are your plans for the future?” Ishida had asked, and Ichigo nearly answered with his career prospects before he realized what he meant.

“Kyouraku-san wants to actually pay me for the Shinigami work,” Ichigo said. “So I’ll probably take him up on that. But it’s pretty much just formalizing what I’m already doing.”

“So you’re not joining the Gotei 13?”

Ichigo eyed him. “Is this about your dad? Because I don’t think he has any room to talk about you associating with Shinigami. And anyway family shouldn’t count.”

Ishida got flustered the way he always did when Ichigo brought up the connection between their parents; Ichigo vowed once again to drag Ishida to more family dinners.

“You’re in a unique position,” Ishida continued when he’d calmed down. “And maybe I was wrong about the Shinigami in general, but I think I’m more on your side than they are. I just don’t want to see them take advantage of you.”

“That’s why I’ve got Kisuke-san,” Ichigo said, keeping an eye on Ishida. He was perceptive; he may already have figured out something about their relationship. “He’s in a similar situation, so he’s helping me out.

Ishida hummed. “Well, as long as you’re careful,” he said, and Ichigo found it easier to pretend he didn’t see the smirk.

“Have you thought about staying in Soul Society?” Inoue had asked one day when they met up between classes. “I’m sure Rukia-chan and the others would be glad to have you.”

“No, I’m staying here,” Ichigo replied, a little taken aback by her tone. The best he’d gotten from anyone else was neutrality in the face of the possibility of him living in Soul Society; Inoue sounded almost positive about it.

But she was the only one other than him that really had _friends_ among the Shinigami.

“Oh,” she’d said, and had sounded almost disappointed. “But you’ll visit, won’t you?”

“Yeah, of course,” he said, smiling a little, and she’d smiled back, and that had been that.

“You don’t have to help them,” Karin had said one night when he’d snuck in late after a patrol. That was why he needed his own place; he hated when he worried his sisters. He slept over at Kisuke’s sometimes but that always felt a little awkward.

“What do you mean?” Ichigo said, not really wanting to get into it with his sister so late but not wanting to ignore her.

“The Shinigami,” she answered, with her fists clenched at her sides. “You don’t _have_ to help them. I understand you want to protect us, but you can do that without giving them your whole life.”

He was more honest, more straightforward with Karin than he’d been with Tatsuki. “I’m one of them, Karin. I _chose_ this, I chose to be a Shinigami.”

“You’re a _human_ ,” she protested, and he cursed his father in his head. There was maybe a long-overdue conversation they would have to have.

“Yeah,” he said, because he _was_ , that was the point, but he was more, too. “But I’ve made my choices, and I’m happy with them. I’m doing this because I want to.”

“You’re leaving us,” Karin said, and Ichigo saw the tears in her eyes. He may have used Shunpo to cross the room, he honestly wasn’t sure, but Karin gasped as he grabbed her firmly by the shoulders.

“Never,” he said. “I’m _never_ leaving you. I’m pretty much stationed permanently in the Human World, but even if I wasn’t, even if I was living in Soul Society, I would still be your brother.”

He hugged her, and she pressed her face into his chest to hide her tears.

Yuzu didn’t ask. She had never responded well to Ichigo’s clumsy attempts to start a conversation about the Shinigami; she seemed entirely uninterested, so he didn’t push.

After his conversation with Karin, he wondered if maybe he should.

“You could go, if you wanted,” his dad had said while Ichigo helped him stock the clinic on his summer break. “To Soul Society. Kukaku-sama knows about you now; the Shiba will always have a place for you.”

Putting aside the absurdity of hearing his old man refer to her as _Kukaku-sama_ , Ichigo replied, “I’m staying here.”

His dad gave him that look he only brought out when he was serious, simultaneously shrewd and stern. “You could belong there, too.”

“The girls are here,” he said. “And my friends. Even you.” And Kisuke, but that was absolutely not a conversation he wanted to have with his dad right now.

Isshin smirked a little at the last bit. “And Rukia-chan and Abarai-kun and Shinji are there, along with all your other friends.”

“I know what I want,” Ichigo said. “My life is here. And maybe that’ll change someday, but for now, I’m staying here. I’ve made my decision.”

His dad smiled at him, a fierce proud smile that reminded Ichigo he’d been a captain in the Gotei 13. “As long as you know your own mind, and you know that you have a choice,” he said. “And I don’t want you to forget that Soul Society is as much your place as the Human World is.”

And then, because he was incapable of being serious for any stretch of time when lives weren’t literally on the line, he turned toward the living room and burst out, “Ah, Kaasan, our son has grown up and become such a decisive man!”

Ichigo cuffed him around the back of the head. “Shut up! This is why Karin pretends not to know you!” he shouted, and let himself fall into a familiar squabble.

The only conversation about it he had with Kisuke was when they discussed Kyouraku-san’s offer. Ichigo was pretty sure he’d made himself clear then. Maybe someday, though, he’d tell him that Kisuke remaining in the Human World as well was, if not the only reason he wanted to stay, at least a pretty big consideration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all come to ship fic to read about the characters' relationships with all the other people in their lives, right?
> 
> I honestly didn't mean to imply with the Ishida conversation that Ichigo (and Kisuke for that matter) are trying to keep their relationship a secret exactly; just that they aren't going to go telling people about it until there's something to tell. That bit I did try to clarify and edit, but I couldn't figure out a way to phrase it that made that clear without sounding clunky.
> 
> Tessai has some definite opinions because he's the one that sees them together the most. His opinions are pretty much that they're both being dumb and prolonging this way more than they need to, but he'll keep his mouth shut unless asked.
> 
> I hope you liked the ficlet despite the dearth of shippy material! Please let me know if you enjoyed it!


	12. Basis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am recovering from writing all that dialogue last chapter by writing a ficlet with no dialogue at all.
> 
> It was inspired by yesterday's ficlet as well; I thought I was going to write a longer Ichigo-Orihime conversation, but instead you have a bunch of Ishida musing, and what he's actually figured out about Ichigo and Kisuke's relationship.
> 
> Hopefully I've changed all the times I mistakenly typed "Ichigo" to "Kurosaki". Do let me know if I missed any!

Uryuu wasn’t sure exactly what Kurosaki’s relationship with Urahara-san was.

They’d always been oddly close. Urahara-san had sort of focused on Kurosaki above anyone else in their group; whenever he was involved with what they were doing it was somehow framed around helping Kurosaki achieve some sort of goal. Even when it turned out it was really Urahara-san’s own goal they were actually achieving, somehow things were aligned so that they were on the same side.

He knew full well that Urahara-san had found them after Renji and Kuchiki-san had attacked them and taken Rukia back to Soul Society because Kurosaki had been injured; he’d healed Uryuu, but his attention had been on Kurosaki the whole time.

The next time Uryuu had seen the two of them together, there’d already been that odd ease between them that never really changed after that no matter what Kurosaki learned about Urahara-san. Like he’d decided at some point in the intervening time that he was going to trust Urahara-san, and nothing was going to shake that.

That might have been suspicious, if not for the way Urahara-san looked back at Kurosaki. Like he was both trying to make up for something and also just waiting for Kurosaki to fulfill some sort of hope. Later, of course, he added in that look the rest of them got as well, that faint surprise that someone like that really existed whenever he did something so stupidly good and noble and utterly impossible that only he could accomplish, partly because it required his impossible power and partly because it just wasn’t something anyone would think to do.

After rescuing Rukia it became a bit clearer what that hope was, and maybe what it was he was making up for. But Kurosaki had such a straightforward way of looking at the world, in a way that always surprised Uryuu. He didn’t really mind secrecy, and he didn’t mind being used, as long as he was in agreement with the ultimate outcome and consequences.

It was probably why Kurosaki had a much better relationship with his father than Uryuu would ever have with Ryuuken.

But things had shifted between Urahara-san and Kurosaki. For one, they were using each others’ first names, even if they hadn’t dropped the honorifics. And Kurosaki talked about Urahara-san more often; it was never anything big, he just would casually drop his name in conversations that weren’t directly about solving whatever problem was facing Soul Society at the moment.

So Uryuu had started paying closer attention. It wasn’t a prurient interest; Kurosaki may have been more observant than he let on, but he could use someone looking out for him. And anyway they were apparently cousins, not that Ryuuken had ever mentioned anything about that, so Uryuu was allowed to be concerned. It was _family_.

And he noticed that the way they looked at each other was changing.

Kurosaki still trusted Urahara-san; he still was willing to humor him in his Kurosaki way when he was keeping secrets and holding things back in conversation. But there was an underlying fondness to his expression; he smiled sometimes when he was talking about Urahara-san. Uryuu didn’t think he’d noticed yet.

And Urahara-san was less…sad when he looked at Kurosaki. He seemed less like he was trying to make up for whatever it really was; that had apparently been settled between them based on some cryptic comments Kurosaki had made. He had always smiled, but he’d used it as a mask. When he was looking at Kurosaki, those smiles seemed more real.

That said, they were both spending far too much time giving each other longing looks from across the room to have actually gotten together. And there was no way Kurosaki would be subtle enough to hide it if they had.

Frankly Uryuu didn’t know what they were waiting for, but it wasn’t his business unless Kurosaki asked for his advice. And despite the hinting Uryuu had done, there’d been no request yet.

So he’d have to wait and see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ishida wants to be involved with the _drama_ , Ichigo.
> 
> I didn't love this one when I was writing it but it's grown on me, I think. And I always enjoy playing around in other characters' heads.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked the ficlet! Please let me know if you enjoyed it!


	13. Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head this is happening the summer break of Ichigo's second year of university, but I'm being really fuzzy about the timeline on purpose through most of this story, mainly because I'm writing as I go and I'm not editing it for timeline consistency. So take it as you will!
> 
> But part of the reason I want this to be a little further on is because I mentioned in the notes a couple chapters ago that Tessai was aware of what was going on but staying well out of it, and in this ficlet I make reference to him getting mildly annoyed at Kisuke; these facts coexist, it's just that this nonsense has been going on long enough that Tessai's losing patience.

It was a relatively nice day for August, and Kisuke had asked if Ichigo wanted to go for a walk.

That was weird. It was outside their normal routine. It was even outside the normal variations of their routine. Normally, they had tea together, usually while Ichigo studied or Kisuke tinkered with something or both. Sometimes, when they had a good chunk of time, they sparred. Occasionally, Ichigo would stay for a meal, or would help around the shop.

They didn’t generally leave.

So of course Ichigo had said yes.

He wondered if this made it more like a date than their normal visits or not. Actually, that whole train of thought had made him wonder if Kisuke thought of their normal visits as dates, which Ichigo had never really considered one way or the other. He just…wanted to see him.

“I didn’t mean to throw you off, Ichigo-san,” Kisuke said, knocking Ichigo out of his own head.

“What?” Ichigo asked, partly startled but partly out of honest confusion.

“You’ve been tense since we left,” Kisuke answered. “I didn’t mean to concern you by throwing off our normal routine.”

“Ah, no, I wasn’t thrown off,” Ichigo lied. Kisuke smiled in that sly way he did when he knew Ichigo was lying; he hid it with his fan but Ichigo could see it in his eyes. “But why did you want to go out?”

The fan went away as Kisuke’s smile turned sheepish. “Oh, I just wanted to get away from Tessai-san,” he said airily, his tone belying the unprecedented words.

Ichigo blinked for a second, absorbing that. “What did he _do_?” he asked with morbid curiosity.

“According to him, it’s more about what _we’re_ doing. Or not doing. As the case may be,” Kisuke said. He sounded very casual, but Kisuke’s tone only sometimes actually indicated his feelings.

But that sounded potentially very bad. “Does he disapprove?”

Kisuke actually looked a little surprised at that. “Oh, no, only of our pace,” he said. At Ichigo’s befuddled look, he went on, “He thinks we’re, how to say it, taking our time a bit too much?”

“That’s not up to him!” Ichigo said. He was relieved, though, to know that one of Kisuke’s oldest friends at least didn’t disapprove of him as a prospect.

Also embarrassed beyond measure, though that went without saying. It struck Ichigo then that this was the most openly they’d ever talked about their relationship.

“That’s what I told him, but I thought it might be better to get out of the house today anyway,” Kisuke said.

They walked in silence for a few moments as Ichigo gathered his thoughts and his courage. He knew full well Kisuke was watching him out of the corner of his eye, but he let Ichigo think.

“Are you…what do you think of our, um, our pace?”

It was Ichigo’s turn to surreptitiously observe Kisuke, and he knew Kisuke was aware of that observation in turn.

He took his time though, whether thinking over what his answer was or how to phrase it.

At last he said, “I hope you know that this is serious for me. It’s something I want to last. And I think it’s that way for you.” He glanced over at Ichigo with a sudden grin. “Not that I would ever expect you to approach whatever you do in life with anything less than the utmost seriousness.”

He laughed at Ichigo’s offended noise and dodged his elbow, but Ichigo let him see the smile at his teasing.

“So I think we _should_ take our time,” Kisuke finished as they fell back into step.

“Yeah,” Ichigo said, but he moved a little closer so their arms brushed as they walked.

And by the time they made it back to the Urahara Shouten, they were holding hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Tessai was smug for a week and Kisuke refused to talk about it.)
> 
> I don't normally tell the words I have ahead of time, but. I was so tempted to break my own unwritten rules and make this tomorrow's ficlet. I can turn "discussion" into something at least sort of romantic (I hope this read as a bit romantic!). The word for tomorrow, Februrary 14th, Valentine's Day, is "database".
> 
> I have no idea what I'm doing for it, but that's a problem for tomorrow's me. It'll be an exciting challenge.
> 
> I hope you liked the little step forward in their relationship! Let me know if you enjoyed it!


	14. Database

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, despite the fact that literally all I could think about for a while associated with this word was Mayuri, I managed a ficlet without him in it at all that I think is (a) related enough to the word to count and (b) romantic enough to suit me for Valentine's Day.

Kisuke thought sometimes—all the time—that he was the luckiest person in any of the three worlds that Ichigo appeared to be the most accepting person to ever exist.

He made sure, of course he made sure, before they even began down this road that Ichigo understood exactly how much Kisuke had known about him before they’d met.

Isshin had explained the circumstances of his meeting with Masaki more thoroughly than Kisuke had thought he would, given his reluctance to do so, and Kisuke had explained his own suspicions at the time of what the consequences might be.

He’d been essentially making them soulmates, after all. He’d thought it likely that they’d end up together.

And given what they were, given what Kisuke’d had to do to fix another one of Aizen’s experiments, what he’d turned them into, he’d been…curious about what might happen if they reproduced.

The results had been beyond his wildest dreams.

But Ichigo was satisfied at his role there, which in fairness was relegated to saving his future mother’s life and speculation.

It was what happened after that he’d thought might give Ichigo pause. Isshin had taken a long time to forgive him for not preventing Masaki’s death, despite knowing just as well as Kisuke did that there’d been no reason to suspect she couldn’t deal with a Hollow like Grand Fisher on her own. But Ichigo honestly seemed to totally accept that; he said it would’ve looked more like Kisuke had been stalking him since he was a child if he’d been around to swoop in at the last second and save the day then.

Which, for all his faults, Kisuke had never done. He’d left the Kurosaki family largely alone in those early years.

His more…well, he could be honest in his own mind, his more _active_ stalking hadn’t really started until he’d sensed an especially powerful Hollow attacking the Kurosaki Clinic, and the Shinigami fighting it had fallen.

It had been difficult to admit that he’d arrived in time to see Rukia offer Ichigo her power, had arrived with enough time to stop it, and hadn’t. It had been an opportunity, two opportunities, really, considering the plans he’d immediately made for Rukia’s gigai, that he didn’t think he could afford to pass up.

So he’d had to tell Ichigo about that, and about watching and monitoring his fights, about holding back assistance so he could observe how Ichigo approached different challenges, whether he could rise to them or not.

He explained how he’d known, or at least surmised, how intertwined the Hollow was with his Shinigami powers, and how he’d been waiting for Ichigo to undergo Hollowfication in the Shattered Shaft test because that was likely the only way his powers even _could_ emerge.

He described exactly why he’d predicted all the powers Ichigo had eventually developed and revealed. He explained how he’d anticipated how Ichigo would react in so many situations, and had planned around him and manipulated situations to come out with the results he deemed most beneficial.

Ichigo had absorbed all of that and then had given Kisuke an annoyed look, which was milder than Kisuke had expected, but he braced for the judgement.

“Well, it’s the same as when I came back from Soul Society that first time, isn’t it? All you really _did_ was help me get stronger. And even your motives and intentions have been stuff that I pretty much agree with, so,” he shrugged. “It’s not that big a deal.”

Kisuke just sat and blinked in shock for a moment, and then had to hide his fond smile behind his fan. “Most people would get a bit defensive when they realized I’ve been studying and analyzing them for essentially the entire time we’ve been interacting,” he pointed out, without much fear that it was going to change Ichigo’s mind. Very little ever did when he was that decided.

“Yeah, well, that’s just who you are,” Ichigo said, and his tone was so blasé Kisuke didn’t bother to hide his amusement. “I’m pretty sure you do that with _everyone_.”

Which was true.

And it was why Kisuke didn’t bother to feel guilty that he kept doing it with Ichigo.

In fact he got to add fascinating new facets to his mental file on Ichigo’s behavior.

For instance, the way Ichigo liked to have a cup of tea on hand when he was studying, despite not having any opinion on the variety or even quality of tea.

Or the way he frowned just as intently over his schoolwork as he did over the literal life-or-death problems he faced as a Shinigami.

Or exactly what Kisuke could say in exactly which circumstances to make him laugh, or to pull him out of a dark mood.

Or the way Ichigo looked when he was smiling at Kisuke (Kisuke could never possibly gather enough data on this one).

Lately, Kisuke had been cataloguing the various ways Ichigo was incorporating casual, affectionate touching in their interactions, from brushing their fingers together when they handed anything between them to brief touches on his back or shoulder when he passed behind him to sitting next to him rather than across the table from him so he could nudge their knees together. The floodgates had, as it were, been thrown open by them holding hands on a walk.

(And Kisuke was thoroughly ashamed of himself for the way even the memory of that made him break out into a grin. He felt like a middle school student with their first crush, which was both impressive and deeply embarrassing considering he’d never even _been_ a middle school student.)

But Kisuke had no real frame of reference for the day when Ichigo, on one of their walks that had become common, lifted the hand he’d been holding as the shop came into view and brushed a kiss against Kisuke’s knuckles.

Kisuke hadn’t had any idea he could still blush like that. Yoruichi was _never_ finding out about this; she wouldn't ever let him live it down.

“Laying it on too thick?” Ichigo asked, slowing to a stop and pulling Kisuke with him.

“From you? Never,” Kisuke said, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally they've got to a point where their relationship is unambiguously pretty romantic to outside observers!
> 
> Which is not to say that I might not go back and write more from the mutually agreed pining stage of their relationship. I've got a good two years to play with, after all. But as I think I've made clear, I wanted to write some fluff for Valentine's Day.
> 
> Please let me know if you enjoyed the ficlet!


	15. Education

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way shorter than yesterday's, as I needed a bit of a break. And kind of a retrospective, retreading some ground I've already covered a little sort of ficlet, though I hope with enough new insight to be worth it!

Ichigo had never felt any obligation to take over the family clinic, nor to be honest had he ever felt any pressure from his father to do so. He didn’t think he’d be suited to the work; he knew himself well enough to realize that the failures, the times he wouldn’t be able to save people, would hit him too hard.

He _liked_ helping people, but it was better to stick with what worked for him. And he had no intention of giving up the Shinigami work; he could save enough people that way.

Everyone he knew got a bit weird about the way he went about it, and how he didn’t pay much attention to things like chain of command or following orders that did more harm than good, but the people he liked and trusted most all seemed really impressed with the way he got things to change, so he figured he’d go on as he’d been and it would all sort itself out.

Regardless, whatever work he did as a Shinigami wasn’t going to pay any bills in the Human World.

(He’d made that remark in passing to his friends one lunch, and Ishida had put down his food and just stared ahead with dead eyes for a full minute. It’d been really creepy. He’d muttered something about his shitty dad—Ichigo’s words, not Ishida’s—when he snapped back.)

So he’d had to consider his future in a much more mundane way than normal in his last semester of high school.

He came to his conclusion when he was spending time at the Urahara Shouten studying; he’d been trying to get away from the chaos of studying at home where his family and friends knew where to find him and bothered him constantly.

In those early days, only a couple months after the Quincy Blood War, Kisuke had been sort of subdued, and invested in making sure Ichigo felt…welcome, for lack of a better word. Ichigo understood his motivations and mood better now, and he wished sometimes that he’d handled it differently, but considering everything, the time they spent together then had been good for both of them.

And it was that time in the shop that made Ichigo realize he wanted, _needed_ his more mundane job to be something peaceful, something quiet, something that he could find solace in.

And that made him think of the books no one ever expected him to actual enjoy reading.

And that led him to where he was, studying English literature.

So when he got frustrated with his classes, which wasn’t nearly as often as he was pretty sure most people would think, he remembered the peace of those days, and the resolution he’d made, and he went back to working for the future he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously Kisuke is part of that future and has been since Ichigo made those plans, but I think I've made that clear in previous ficlets.
> 
> I don't know if this is super common fandom knowledge—it wasn't for me until just a little while ago—but Tite Kubo did say that Ichigo majored in English literature because "it'd be nice to give Ichigo the freedom to pursue what he wants" so that's the vibe I was going for here. A translation of the interview is here.
> 
> The Ishida incident was the horror at realizing Ichigo and Ryuuken had something in common breaking his brain for a second. I mean, hopefully that was clear from context as we the readers/watchers of Bleach know some stuff Ichigo doesn't about that relationship, but I thought I'd clarify.
> 
> I hope you liked the ficlet! Please let me know if you enjoyed it!


	16. Photo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'know, originally I thought I'd make it 500 words minimum per ficlet, but then I reconsidered how difficult that'd be to keep up for a whole month. Which is to say that I thought this one would be like 300 words and somehow I ended up with twice that.
> 
> I said I wanted to write some Orihime-Ichigo interactions a little while ago; here it is! I do in fact like her very much and I hope I did her justice!

Ichigo had never been the type to take a lot of pictures of his friends or family; it wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate having the reminders, especially after his mother had died—though Isshin took it way to far over the top—but it never really occurred to him to take pictures for himself.

It did occur to Inoue, though.

She’d stopped by his house shortly before they left for university.

“Kurosaki-kun!” she said, as bright and cheery as ever.

“Oh, Inoue,” he replied, “did you want to come in?”

And somehow that had led to bringing her up to his room. Better than keeping her downstairs to be leered at by his dad and spied on by his sister.

She always seemed a little weird whenever she came up to his room alone; weird even for her. Ichigo didn’t like to think about why, despite the broad hints Tatsuki dropped sometimes.

If it really was… _that_ , then he was going to have to hurt her someday. He knew by then where his interests and hopes lay, and they weren’t with her.

So he didn’t think about it too much, and he hoped she’d move on by herself.

“Kurosaki-kun, I wanted to give you this,” Inoue admitted finally after a few pleasantries as she slid a large envelope to him.

“Ah, I didn’t get you anything,” Ichigo said, feeling supremely awkward and worrying that his face was betraying his panic.

But she just laughed and waved aside his protests.

“It’s not much,” she said, “But…well, we’re not going to see each other quite so much, are we? At least, not as often as we have for the last few years.”

“No,” Ichigo said, staring at her and willing her not to start crying or something. He wasn’t going to be able to deal with that.

“Please open the envelope, Kurosaki-kun,” she said, and her eyes looked a _little_ wet but she was smiling too so it probably wasn’t too bad.

So he did, and he pulled out _dozens_ of pictures.

There were a lot of Tatsuki, and a lot of Rukia in her gigai; that made sense, as those two were the closest to her. But Keigo also showed up very often, and Mizuiro was usually in the background at least when he did.

Chad was generally present in group shots, and a couple of individual ones. There were precious few of Ishida, though the one where he was sandwiched between Yuzu and Karin and looking extremely uncomfortable was hilarious.

There were group shots of Kisuke and Tessai and the kids at and in front of the Urahara Shouten; Yoruichi was with them in cat and human forms. Then a couple of just Ururu and Jinta, then Tessai joining them, and then Kisuke laughing at the lot of them.

He was coming back to that one.

And then he found the pictures of Rukia not in her gigai, and Renji, and Byakuya and Ikkaku and Kenpachi and all the rest of his friends in Soul Society.

“I didn’t know cameras worked on Shinigami,” Ichigo said as he flipped through them.

“Oh, Urahara-san helped me with that,” Inoue said. “I went over to get some pictures of them all and he was interested in that problem. So he gave me a special camera and it worked perfectly! I was so happy to be able to get pictures of _all_ of your friends, Kurosaki-kun!”

Ichigo had to smile. “Thank you, Inoue.”

She beamed back at him. “Our lives are going to be so different from now on. I just didn’t want to forget how we started out.”

Ichigo chuckled a little. “It’s been pretty memorable.”

Inoue laughed and agreed.

She took her leave shortly after, saying that she had pictures to deliver to Chad and Ishida as well. Ichigo saw her out.

He hoped she’d get over her feelings for him on her own. He really, really didn’t want to break her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they absolutely stay friends for the rest of their lives even if Ichigo never does get around to calling her by her first name and she _absolutely_ does get over Ichigo and moves on.
> 
> That's a whole other subplot that I'm really not going to get into, I think. Mostly because it has so very, very little to do with Ichigo/Kisuke, which is of course the reason we're all here.
> 
> I hope you liked the ficlet! If you enjoyed it, please let me know!


	17. Person

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the problem is you get a word like database on Valentine's Day, and sometimes the problem is you get a ridiculously broad word instead.
> 
> I took the opportunity to write one of my favorite things, outsider POV. With a true outsider this time, even.
> 
> Kisuke and Ichigo have been really lovey-dovey lately in my ficlets. Here's a bit of flirting to prove they still delight in giving each other shit.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

Hideaki shuffled slightly in front of the Urahara Shouten. Kuchiki-fukutaichou had given him very strict instructions on what to do when he arrived in the World of the Living, starting with coming here and introducing himself. But Abarai-fukutaichou had also told him what to expect from the inhabitants of this shop, and he was a little leery of going in.

On the other hand, Abarai-fukutaichou had been smirking when he told him, so maybe it was an exaggeration?

Any longer standing around would be dereliction of duty, though, so he had to just suck it up and go in.

Or at least knock. It didn’t look like the shop was open yet. Bursting in might not make the _best_ impression.

The door was slid aside by a surly-looking teenage boy with bright red hair after a few minutes of knocking.

“Well? What do you want?”

“Um,” Hideaki said, “I’m here by orders of Kuchiki-fukutaichou of the 13th Division to present myself to the Soul Society liaison to the World of the Living.”

The teenager sighed and managed to sound like the most put-upon person in the world. Which was untrue, as Hideaki thought he might be able to make a claim to the title if nothing else.

“Kisuke-san!” he bellowed, turning back into the interior of the store. “Kurosaki’s replacement is here!”

He then wandered back in, leaving Hideaki to stand in the doorway, unsure.

“Come in,” came a new voice, which apparently belonged to an extremely tall and intimidating-looking man. That must be Tsukabishi Tessai. “Would you care for some breakfast?”

“Um, yes? Please?” said Hideaki. It would be rude to refuse, right? He wasn’t really hungry but it seemed simpler this way…

He abruptly changed his mind when he entered the room and found that not only the man that had to be Urahara Kisuke but also a Shinigami with spiky orange hair seated at the table looking up at him.

That _must_ be Kurosaki Ichigo.

It would have been _much_ simpler to refuse rather than have to act naturally with someone like _him_.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you had a guest,” Hideaki said in a rush. “Please don’t allow me to interrupt your visit!”

“Nonsense. Sit,” said Tsukabishi-san.

“So, you’re going to be the Shinigami assigned to Karakura Town while Ichigo-san is back at his university?” said Urahara-san.

“Um, yes, sir,” said Hideaki.

“You’d better do a good job,” said Kurosaki-san himself. He was scowling; this was terrible. Hideaki had already proven himself a disappointment. “This is my home you’re guarding.”

Urahara-san had taken a fan out and was holding it in front of his face. Abarai-fukutaichou had warned him about this. Kurosaki-san had turned the scowl to Urahara-san, though, so there was that.

“And don’t let _him_ ,” Kurosaki-san indicated Urahara-san with his chin, “give you any grief, okay?”

“Ichigo-san, you’re going to leave this rookie with a bad impression of me,” Urahara-san…no, there was no other word for it. He _whined_.

Kurosaki-san scowled at Urahara-san, and Hideaki was beginning to reconsider the expression he’d given Hideaki before. That had been nothing compared to this.

“You’re impossible, Kisuke. Clearly this kid is terrified enough without you pulling any of your nonsense on him.” Hideaki wondered if he should protest that; if the rumors about Kurosaki-san were true, he was only something like twenty years old, which was _much_ younger than Hideaki.

But he figured being able to fight at the level of gods gave you some leeway, and he kept his mouth shut.

“That’s too strong a word,” Urahara-san was saying. “I never put you through any nonsense that didn’t directly tie in to training.”

“First of all, that’s a lie, and second, you like me,” Kurosaki-san said, rolling his eyes. But maybe he was smirking a little. Hideaki thought he might have lost the thread of this conversation. “I’ve heard stories from Renji, you know.”

Urahara-san laughed a little behind his fan. “I’ll keep it to a minimum, then. I can’t promise more than that. You know I get bored when you’re not here.”

Kurosaki-san barked out a laugh. “Well, I tried…huh. What was your name again?”

Hideaki startled at being addressed again. “Um, Takahashi Hideaki, Kurosaki-san.”

“Takahashi-san, then. I tried. You heard me.”

“Thank…you…?” This was maybe going better than he’d thought. And then he remembered, “Oh, Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-fukutaichou wanted me to send her regards, and to remind you to call her.”

Kurosaki-san made a frustrated noise. “Honestly, take two days to return a call she missed in the first place…” he groused, but then he smiled at Hideaki. “Thank you, Takahashi-san. Take care of Karakura Town for me, all right? If you get in over your head, you really can come to Kisuke. If it’s bad enough, he can get in contact with me.”

Hideaki felt sort of like he’d been hit over the head, and sort of like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. “I won’t let you down, Kurosaki-san,” he said, bowing his head.

There was a muttered exchange from across the table that Hideaki missed as Tsukabishi-san bustled in with breakfast for him. Kurosaki-san got up and took his leave, and Urahara-san got up to see him out.

The door didn’t quite shut behind them, so he could hear if he concentrated, and he felt bad about it but he did.

“Try to stay out of trouble, Ichigo.”

A laugh. “I’m not the one that goes seeking it out, _Kisuke_.”

“Ah, so cruel to me.” There was silence for a moment, or at least nothing Hideaki could hear.

“Call me if you need me, okay? Really,” said Kurosaki-san.

“You know I will.”

Then Tsukabishi-san cleared his throat, and if there was anything more to the conversation Hideaki didn’t hear it.

He wasn’t quite sure what he’d been dropped into here, but with any luck it would be an uneventful few months until Kurosaki-san came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The muttered conversation Hideaki couldn't hear:
> 
> "Another conquest, Ichigo?"
> 
> "Shut up, Kisuke."
> 
> That last line feels very ominous. It's not really intended to, but probably Hideaki does get into more trouble than he would like, though never enough to call Ichigo back. And Kisuke does torment him mostly out of boredom, but doesn't do any lasting damage.
> 
> I hope you found this as fun to read as I did to write! Please let me know if you liked it!


	18. Speaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I was going to go in a different direction with this, more about Ichigo's classes, but as ever it just kind of ran away with itself once I started writing. Oh well. I would've had to do way more research for that sort of ficlet anyway.
> 
> Plus I got to write a Rukia-Ichigo interaction, which was a lot of fun. Hopefully I did their friendship justice!

Ichigo was coming out of his last lecture when his phone went off. It took him a second to get it out; he’d be expecting a text from Chad, so he didn’t go for the denreishinki first, which was the actual source of the notification.

By the time he managed to dig it out, he’d missed the call. And it’d been from Rukia, so he grimaced and called her back, lest he never hear the end of it.

“Ichigo, why didn’t you answer?” she demanded as soon as she picked up. Typical.

“I was just getting out of class,” he answered, ducking into an alley so he could use shunpo to get back to his apartment. He let her grumble at him and then he was letting himself in. He put the call on speakerphone as he opened the fridge to see if he had anything for dinner.

“Anyway,” Rukia said at last, and Ichigo tuned back in, “I just got the first report from Takahashi.”

“Who?” Ichigo asked, squinting at the expiration date on his milk.

Rukia made an explosive noise of frustration. “Takahashi, the Shinigami I assigned to Karakura Town? You’re still so bad with names.”

“Right, right,” Ichigo said. “And I am not.”

“ _Anyway_. You didn’t tell me you’d met him directly; I thought he’d given my message to Urahara to pass on to you.”

“Mm, only in passing,” Ichigo said, closing the fridge and opening a cupboard. “He stopped by to introduce himself while I was having breakfast at Kisuke’s.”

“Oh?” she said in a tone that was way too sing-song and knowing. Ichigo abruptly closed the cabinet and turned way more of his attention to the conversation.

“Yeah, I was finishing up my last patrol and saying goodbye before coming back to school,” he said quellingly. He hadn’t yet had any sort of conversation with Kisuke on what they were telling people, so he didn’t really want to give Rukia any information yet. And much as he loved his friends, they could be a little over the top; the whole point of taking this slow was so they wouldn’t put too much pressure on their relationship and have it implode before it even started. Everyone making it their business wasn’t going to help that goal.

“I’m sure you were,” Rukia was saying, apparently not at all put off.

“Rukia,” he complained, and she laughed.

“Well, that wasn’t the only reason I called,” she said, but he knew better than to think she’d dropped it. She’d spring it on him again soon; he was going to have to talk to Kisuke about it. “I wanted to let you know that you really made an impression on Takahashi. You really do have natural leadership qualities, you know. Are you sure we can’t convince you to come take over the 13th?”

Ichigo groaned feelingly. “What, hasn’t Kyouraku-san offered it to you yet?” he asked, and grinned at her stammering. They fell into the familiar bickering that came up whenever they spoke about this topic. They both knew she’d take it over when she was ready, and for all that she’d love having him around she did respect his decision to stay in the World of the Living. Eventually they moved on to how their friends were doing, and passed along little messages and good wishes.

“Ichigo,” Rukia said, “you know that you can tell me anything, right? Whenever you’re ready.”

Ichigo rolled his eyes. “Of course I know that. But there’s nothing to tell.”

“Right,” she said. “Take care of yourself, all right?”

“Yeah, you too.” And despite how much she frustrated him sometimes, he was smiling as he hung up the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo you cannot abruptly go from referring to him as Kisuke-san to just Kisuke and not expect all your hyper-observant friends to pick up on that.
> 
> I always feel basically all their family and friends must be a little mystified by Ichigo and Rukia's bond. They just get each other so well, I love it.
> 
> As ever, I hope you liked the ficlet! Let me know if you enjoyed it!


	19. Literature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first I was like oh, this is such an easy prompt, Ichigo is studying literature, I'll just do him being contemplative about his life choices.
> 
> Then I remembered that not only have I done that before, but this whole thing is supposed to be about a _pairing_ , not just Ichigo by himself.
> 
> So I fixed it. And now you get Ichigo talking on the phone two chapters in a row.

Ichigo frowned at his computer screen. This essay was far more difficult than anticipated; he’d found _Paradise Lost_ surprisingly resonant with aspects of his own life and experiences, though different enough that it was throwing him off.

Plus he had to make sure he wasn’t coming off as a battle-hardened veteran in the way he wrote about war, which was not a problem he thought he’d be having in university. Probably he was being paranoid and no one would make any troublesome connections, but, well, look at the company he kept.

And speak of the devil…

His phone rang and he checked it, than answered with a smile.

“Hey. Everything okay?”

“Do I have to have an emergency to contact you?” Kisuke’s voice was warm and teasing.

“Heh. No, but considering our track record, something big should be coming soon.”

“Ah, well, you know I’m looking out for that sort of thing. And there’s no indications of anything, I promise.”

“And you’d tell me if there was?” Ichigo was mostly teasing with the question. Mostly. He wouldn’t have gotten into this relationship if he didn’t trust Kisuke, but the man had a frustrating tendency to hide information for what he thought were good reasons.

“Of course.” Kisuke’s tone was a bit too serious; Ichigo might have hit a little too close to home with that one.

“So, if the three worlds aren’t ending and that new Shinigami…um…”

“Takahashi-san?” Kisuke supplied. He was definitely laughing at Ichigo; he recognized that tone.

“Right, Takahashi, isn’t in over his head, did you have a reason to call?” Ichigo asked, leaning back in his seat.

“Maybe I just missed the sound of your voice,” Kisuke said, and Ichigo was pretty sure he was doing that thing where he teased and used just enough truth to cover up his actual feelings.

“Did you?” he asked, because being blunt often helped to cut through the pretenses Kisuke put up.

“Hmm, a little,” Kisuke said. “But I also wanted to let you know that I had a visit from your sister.”

“Karin getting into Hollow-hunting again?”

“No, actually, it was Yuzu-san.”

Ichigo sat straight up again. “Yuzu? Why, did something happen?”

“Don’t you think I’d have led with that, if something had?” Kisuke said, sounding faintly amused again. Bastard was lucky Ichigo loved him so much. “No, she said she was just shopping.”

Ichigo had to absorb that for a second. “That doesn’t make any sense,” he said at last. “Your shop’s way to far out of her way for that to be convenient.”

“No, Ichigo, it was an excuse,” Kisuke said in a patient way that Ichigo suspected meant he thought Ichigo was being very dense. “I think she came over to see me.”

“Why?” Ichigo was entirely surprised; Yuzu was so…resigned, maybe, that she’d never have spiritual powers, never be able to see ghosts, that it came over as resistance to knowing about that part of his life. The fact that she’d seek it out…

“Ah. Well. I think she has some suspicions about us.” Kisuke put just enough emphasis on the last word to be clear what he meant.

Oh. This was personal.

“Did you…what did you say?”

Kisuke chuckled. “You know very well I’m perfectly capable of holding a conversation without actually giving anything away.”

Ichigo snorted. “That’s true.” He paused for a second, then continued, “Maybe when I come home on my next break we should talk about telling her, though.”

Kisuke was silent for a long moment. Ichigo held his breath, hoping he hadn’t overstepped.

“Maybe we should,” he said at last, and his voice was warm.

Ichigo breathed out and found that he was grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I promise, no one will be on the phone during tomorrow's ficlet. I will endeavor not to make a liar of myself.
> 
> I really really didn't want to get into it in the story, but Ichigo is thinking specifically about the Qunicy war in the last arc when making the comparison to _Paradise Lost_. What with all of the Christian imagery surrounding the Quincy and all. Plus, I mean, half of that poem's about a war in heaven. I had to make the reference.
> 
> So, little bit of forward momentum! I always get anxious about striking the right tone when these two actually interact; I hope this comes across as affectionate, if slightly exasperated.
> 
> Please let me know if you enjoyed the ficlet!


	20. Obligation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was preparing to post this and realized I didn't really pull the prompt word through in the ficlet the way I normally try to. So I'll say here that I think there's an element of reciprocal obligation to Kisuke and Tessai's friendship, and that's part of why they stay together when the Visoreds went off together and even Yoruichi doesn't hang around.
> 
> Obviously that's not all there is to it, but it's always been in my mind that they think they have to look out for each other. So that's what this ficlet is about.
> 
> Also, timeline-wise, this is the conversation Kisuke alluded to in chapter 13, Discussion, so this is set right before Ichigo and Kisuke have their first real so-are-we-dating-or-what conversation.

Tessai had always respected Ichigo’s power. Respecting the man behind it had come soon after; it was impossible to watch his training in those early days and not come away with some admiration for at least his bloody-mindedness.

And even at the time, Tessai had thought he was good for Kisuke.

His opinion had not changed since.

He had watched as scientific interest and wary trust turned into a mentorship, as that mentorship deepened into a friendship, and as that friendship transformed into this odd courtship that seemed to have developed between them.

Throughout it all, Ichigo remained steadfastly unwilling to let Kisuke indulge in his guilt complex or turn him aside. He had demanded Kisuke’s respect, and Kisuke had given it.

And he actually _liked_ Kisuke. There were honestly precious few people who did; most who knew him respected him to some extent, but were put off by the masks and defenses he’d built up over the years.

But not Ichigo.

Which was part of the reason it was so frustrating watching them.

Tessai had always been a patient man. But this had been building since at the very least the days Ichigo had spent in the Shouten after that terrible battle with the Quincy king. That had been nearly two years ago.

He’d planned to stay out of it and let things play out, as was his wont when it came to Kisuke. He rarely stepped in, and only when Kisuke was about to do something exceedingly stupid. He knew very well Kisuke excelled at playing the long game, but hated to make the first move.

The issue was that Ichigo seemed to be waiting for Kisuke. That was the only explanation Tessai could think of; Ichigo had always been a very... _definite_ man. He knew his own opinion, and he acted upon it. The few times his determination had wavered had been of short duration; it was impressive for one so young.

But that also meant he was unlikely to bend on this issue of being the first to approach. And much as Tessai liked and respected the young man, it was not his place in Ichigo’s life to prompt him otherwise.

But it was _exactly_ his place in Kisuke’s life.

“Is Ichigo-dono coming over again this afternoon?” Tessai asked, knowing full well that he was.

“He mentioned he might stop by,” Kisuke said, as if he hadn’t been looking at the time at least once every hour since breakfast.

“Hmmm,” Tessai rumbled, and they’d known each other long enough for that to catch Kisuke’s attention.

“If it’s a bother, I can tell him not to come.”

Kisuke was baiting him now. Good, he knew where this conversation was going. “Not at all. Ichigo-dono is always a welcome guest.” Kisuke was regarding him warily now. “In fact, I wonder if we might see more of him.”

“Ichigo-san is a busy man,” Kisuke said, pulling his hat down. Like that had ever worked on Tessai. “You know how I hate to impose.”

Tessai very nearly rolled his eyes at that outright lie. Long practice helped him keep a straight face. “Perhaps I should make it clear to him, then,” he said, and was rewarded with a slight widening of Kisuke’s eyes.

“Well, it’s such a nice day, barely muggy at all,” Kisuke said. “I was actually thinking we might enjoy the weather while it lasts and go for a walk.”

Tessai let it go at that. Hopefully things wouldn’t need any further intervention, but he was always ready to do what he must to secure Kisuke’s best interests, even from himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this flowed well; I had a lot of deletions in Tessai's musings because I kept going off on tangents. Shocker.
> 
> I think it came through okay, but this is Tessai saying that if Kisuke doesn't confess then he'll do it for him. Just in case I was less clear than I thought.
> 
> I hope you liked the ficlet! Please let me know if you enjoyed it!


	21. Nature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was contemplating what to do next and realized I hadn't actually had Ichigo's best friend show up beyond a one-line reference. Nor Kisuke's, for that matter, but Chad seemed like an easier POV to go from. Maybe Yoruichi will show up later; I've still got eight days.
> 
> It was so hard to call Chad Yasutora throughout this ficlet; my feelings were that probably he'd think of himself by his own first name, and that was what his grandfather called him if nothing else, but it just felt weird.
> 
> This one takes place during the summer break of Ichigo's second year of University, right after the conversation from chapter 13, Discussion. I guess yesterday's ficlet put me in mind of it.

Ichigo was extremely straightforward by nature; he had been since the moment Yasutora had met him. It wasn’t in his nature to lie, exactly. He kept secrets all the time, of course, and he was perfectly capable of misleading people, but he didn’t lie outright very well, especially to the people he cared about.

Which was to say, Yasutora knew he was hiding something.

They didn’t spend as much time together now as they used to; Ichigo was away at school for most of the year and Yasutora had thrown himself into training. But he still followed Ichigo out on patrol when he was free, in those weeks when Ichigo was home on break and taking up his Shinigami responsibilities.

And he and Ichigo both knew that either would come if the other called. That had always been the basis of their friendship, and always would be.

Yasutora had a night free, and had been more than willing to help Ichigo clear out a nest of Hollows. It was nostalgic, which he suspected was the reason Ichigo had asked him to come along.

But Ichigo seemed distracted. He kept _smiling_.

It wasn’t the grin Ichigo got when he faced up against a challenge; these low-level Hollows could never dream of challenging Ichigo now. And he wasn’t worried about Ichigo losing focus in battle. Even if Yasutora hadn’t been there to watch his back, Ichigo was more than capable of taking on so small a threat without giving it his full attention.

But it wasn’t like him. When there was nothing weighing on his mind, Ichigo’s focus was actually kind of frightening. And Ichigo didn’t look like something was bothering him. He just looked…happy.

Yasutora had never been as excitable or dramatic as some of their other friends. He’d seen Ichigo smiling before; he certainly wasn’t going to go around claiming that it was out of character for him to be happy. But it was odd for Ichigo to linger like this over whatever memory was making him smile like that; normally he was much more reactive to what was happening around him.

Finally he broke the comfortable silence between them.

“You seem happy, Ichigo.”

Ichigo glanced over at him, surprise melting away into understanding. “I am. I, um, I had some good news recently.”

“News?”

“Mmm.”

He was putting Yasutora off. That was all right. “Then I’m glad.”

Ichigo smiled again, this time directed at Yasutora. “Yeah. Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much like Kisuke and Tessai, I feel like a lot of Ichigo and Chad's relationship actually goes unspoken; this makes it a little difficult to write about for me. I hope I did them justice.
> 
> I feel Chad would push more if Ichigo were upset or troubled, but he's just happy that his friend is happy and willing to wait for Ichigo to come to him. He refused to carry it further so eventually he won and I gave up trying to make him.
> 
> Sorry for the uraichi being entirely implication this time! We know it's happening, though, and so does Ichigo, so I'm counting it.


	22. Youth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't stop thinking about the lack of Yoruichi. So, here you go.
> 
> The conversation Yoruichi overhears is the same one my OC overheard in chapter 17, Person.

Yoruichi had found Kurosaki Ichigo to be an endlessly entertaining young man with a ridiculous amount of power and a terrifying drive. In short, she’d liked him since their first invasion into Soul Society together. Her plan was to never let him know how endeared he was to her.

Kisuke she’d known since they were children, of course. They’d been confidants and partners in crime—at first figuratively and then terrifyingly literally—and there were very few people who knew her so well or whom she loved as much.

She had not thought either of them would have the power to shock her. Ichigo because he was predictable, and Kisuke because of familiarity. Surprise, yes, they both did that on a regular basis as they each in their own way completely disregarded what conventional wisdom said was impossible, but shock? Never.

So she had thought.

And then one September day she returned as a cat to the Urahara Shouten after a few years away. Ichigo was visiting, she could sense, plus a Shinigami she didn’t know. She slunk around to the front of the shop, listening carefully, and there she heard it.

Kisuke addressed Ichigo by first name, without any honorifics. Ichigo did so in turn, but that was less unexpected; he was not the most respectful individual. But Kisuke…it was entirely unprecedented.

And his _tone_.

She peered around the corner, staying low, and watched as they…there was really no other word for it…gazed at each other through the rest of their conversation. They were saying goodbye—she’d heard that Ichigo was in university now, he must be going back—and they seemed far more affectionate with each other than they’d been the last time she’d checked. The sing-song tone dropped out of Kisuke’s voice as he told Ichigo to take care of himself, and Ichigo’s voice went soft when he told Kisuke to stay in touch.

They looked like they might be on the verge of reaching out for each other when Ichigo took a half step back and smiled, turning to actually leave. Yoruichi ducked back and around the corner before he could catch her.

Now _this_ was a shocking development.

She retreated to process what she’d learned. And to wait for the interloper to leave; whoever it was, neither Ichigo nor Kisuke had seemed to pay them much mind, so it probably wasn’t worth her attention.

Her childhood best friend possibly being involved with their former student _was_.

So she stayed out until evening, checking in on the rest of the kids and busying herself with inconsequential minutia.

When she made her way back, she found Kisuke sitting out in the store, waiting for her.

“Yoruichi-san,” he said, “It’s been a while.”

“It has,” Yoruichi agreed, jumping up to settle in near him. “Have you been keeping yourself busy, Kisuke?”

“Oh, same as always,” Kisuke said. He was always so evasive; she’d been shielding her reiatsu, but odds were he had known she was there earlier.

“And how’s our Ichigo doing?” she asked, as ever willing to be blunt when he wouldn’t.

“Ichigo-san’s doing very well,” Kisuke answered. Oh, he’d dropped the Kurosaki-san even when not addressing Ichigo directly. Interesting. “It’s too bad you weren’t here earlier today. He actually came by after his last patrol to say goodbye before he went back to school.”

Ah, Kisuke absolutely knew she’d been there. “I did stop by earlier,” she said, “but it looked like I might be… _interrupting_ something, so I decided to give you two your privacy.”

Kisuke didn’t have an answer to that. He pulled his hat down, hiding his eyes.

“How long has _that_ been going on, Kisuke?”

“It rather depends on how you look at it,” Kisuke said, false airiness in his voice. “If you ask Tessai-san, he’ll probably say for about four weeks. But Ichigo-san and I agree it dates back a bit further.”

“And Inoue?” Yoruichi asked. “I thought we agreed on that one.”

“Ichigo-san doesn’t want Inoue-san,” Kisuke said.

“He wants you?”

“Apparently.”

Kisuke’d dropped the pretenses and was getting terse. She was hitting a nerve; any further and she wouldn’t be able to get anything out of him.

Plus she could see that she was hurting him.

“You’re serious about this, Kisuke?” she asked, softening her voice and tone.

Kisuke looked at her, and there was something helpless in his gaze that she didn’t think she’d seen before. “Entirely,” he said.

“All right, then,” she said, and went inside.

Kisuke didn’t follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a bleaker sounding ending than I intended. Kisuke called Ichigo while he was still out there, I think, and had an inconsequential conversation that didn't mention Yoruichi at all but did make him feel better.
> 
> It may amuse you to know I completely forgot to specify that she's a cat through this whole thing at first; I had to add that in. I figure it may be easier for her to hide her reiatsu as a cat.
> 
> I didn't want to introduce too much disapproval from their families and friends, but I just realized everyone who's reacted to figuring out Kisuke and Ichigo have feelings for each other so far has been entirely fine with it, so I thought it might be interesting to explore a slightly different dynamic. Yoruichi's main issue is that she has not been around to see the way their relationship has developed in the past couple of years, and doesn't quite get how they fit yet.
> 
> She _will_ come around, and probably soon! But looking ahead at the rest of my prompts, I don't know that I'll end up writing it. One week left!
> 
> Please let me know if you enjoyed the ficlet!


	23. Knowledge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't done Kisuke's POV in a while, have I? That was inadvertent. Have some now!
> 
> I'm actually super nervous about this ficlet, though it's one that I have intended to write for this word for at least the last week and a half. It does reference Kisuke and Ichigo's conversation about Yuzu's visit to the shop in chapter 19, Literature. Also they have to talk about their feelings, which neither actually like doing in this context. Or ever, for Kisuke.
> 
> I hope you like it!

Kisuke had expected to see Ichigo soon, but he had thought he’d follow the pattern he’d set out every time he came home for break. He had dinner with his family, then patrolled Karakura Town to make sure the Shinigami assigned to the town hadn’t missed anything in their reports. After that was finished, he would come to the shop, ostensibly to check in but really to visit.

Ichigo didn’t follow the pattern this time. He showed up in the middle of the afternoon, so he must have come over as soon as he’d dropped off his bags at his house.

Kisuke watched as he greeted the kids and Tessai, and then he turned to Kisuke and smiled.

It was that crooked smile that softened his eyes. Kisuke wondered whether classifying his smiles was going a bit too far.

“Hey,” he said.

“Welcome back,” Kisuke replied, and he knew he was smiling in turn. It might look a bit soppy going by Jinta’s noise of disgust.

“Jinta-kun, let’s go to the store,” Ururu said brightly, and then dragged a protesting Jinta away.

“Excuse me, I must start making dinner,” said Tessai, heading into the back toward the kitchen.

Ichigo’s smile turned a bit wry as he watched Tessai go, and Kisuke had to resort to his fan to hide his own amusement.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the privacy,” Ichigo said, “but I didn’t mean to kick everyone out.”

“They mean well,” Kisuke said. “And really, would it have been less awkward to go off into another room by ourselves and have them all waiting out here?”

“You think we need privacy to greet each other?” Ichigo asked as he came over to sit next to Kisuke, and oh, that level of sly from him was new and _delightful_.

“Well, I suppose that’s up to you,” Kisuke said, but it was almost on autopilot because Ichigo was leaning _closer_ and his hand was coming up to Kisuke’s face and—

Ichigo kissed him.

It was—all right, Kisuke had not _daydreamed_ about what their first kiss would be like, but if he _had_ —it was soft, and very chaste, just a simple brush of their lips together, a slight, bare pressure, and really more notable for what it represented, what it meant for them than for anything inherent in the kiss itself.

It was…fitting. For what their relationship was, for what they were making it.

“Okay?” Ichigo asked, pulling away enough to speak but still so close their noses brushed.

Kisuke had closed his eyes. That was a little embarrassing. He opened them to meet Ichigo’s intent gaze under furrowed brows, and couldn’t help the smile. He hoped it didn’t read as mocking; Ichigo’s seriousness could be so endearing, not that he’d ever say so with any sincerity out loud.

“Of course, Ichigo,” he said, and Ichigo’s expression relaxed with relief.

“I’ve been thinking about that for…a while,” Ichigo said. Admitted, more like. As if it were being dragged out of him.

“Mmm, well, now you can do more than think,” Kisuke teased, and had to laugh as Ichigo turned bright red. That one was a little mocking. _Affectionately_ , though. Better not push too far on this yet. “Speaking of privacy—”

“ _Kisuke_ ,” Ichigo complained.

“I think we need it for the conversation I promised you,” he continued. It had been an undercurrent in many of their conversations since they’d spoken of Yuzu’s visit; Ichigo would absolutely know what he meant.

“Right,” Ichigo said, almost as if to himself. He was hesitating a little, and Kisuke abruptly felt a bit…not quite worried. Apprehensive, maybe. If Ichigo didn’t want to tell his family about them yet, that was fine, but it made Kisuke wonder what had made him change his mind.

He was pulled out of his incipient theorizing by Ichigo’s hand on his wrist, by the way his palm slid down to align with Kisuke’s, the way he entwined their fingers.

“Listen,” he said with a rough voice, “I know I’m not good at this kind of thing. But I…I really missed you.”

Kisuke didn’t say anything, but he squeezed Ichigo’s hand. He wasn’t sure how to put into words the way he’d felt like he was waiting the entire time for Ichigo to come back, not because his life was necessarily incomplete without Ichigo there, but because he made everything more…vibrant. More real.

It was harder to get caught up in his own head when Ichigo was there.

“I want to tell my family about us,” Ichigo continued. “Are you okay with that? I know Yuzu’s apparently invited herself over, and I can’t promise Karin won’t do the same, and she might be more, um, confrontational about it.”

“This _is_ a place of business, which the public can enter during opening hours,” Kisuke pointed out dryly. “And I think I can handle a sixteen year old girl, even if she is spiritually aware. She doesn’t even have a zanpakuto.”

Ichigo rolled his eyes. “She’s not going to try to beat you up. Probably. Just yell a lot.”

“She’ll disapprove?”

“Of you being a Shinigami, maybe.”

“Perhaps it will help if she knows I’m only loosely affiliated with the Gotei 13 these days.”

Ichigo laughed, which had been the point of the banter.

“And your father?” Kisuke pressed, not exactly nervous at the prospect of facing Isshin, but it might be a little more awkward than even whatever Ichigo was thinking would happen with Karin.

“He won’t make a fuss,” Ichigo said, apparently totally confident in that. “Not to you. Possibly to the poster of my mother.” Kisuke blinked at that, but let it go. “Anyway, if you’re really okay with it, I’ll tell them tonight.”

“Ichigo,” Kisuke said, trying to let his tone show the warmth and affection he still couldn’t always put into words that sounded sincere, “you can tell the three worlds, if you want. I’m not trying to keep us a secret.”

Ichigo’s smile made his heart speed up. Kisuke lifted their still-joined hands and pressed a kiss to Ichigo’s knuckles, the way Ichigo had taken to doing to him the past summer, and found that he liked the way Ichigo looked at him after, like he was in love.

Maybe that was why Ichigo had done it so often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nobody's announcing anything on a general basis; Kisuke's a very private person and Ichigo's a strong proponent of minding his own business and expecting others to do the same, but they're on the same page of it being okay to let friends and family know.
> 
> I think this is the first time I've used the word love in Kisuke's POV.
> 
> Well, I had fun writing that, and I hope you all think it worked okay! Please let me know if you liked it!


	24. Sir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came up with two ideas from this prompt, and one of them I've covered a bit already, so you get some Shiba interaction! The prompt word is not used, though I don't always use them, and I think frankly the presence of Kuukaku invokes the idea of respect and deference that the people around her show.
> 
> I have picked up from various canon, semi-canon, and definitely-fanon sources that Isshin was from a branch family, but still pretty closely related to the main family. And Kuukaku refers to him as her uncle here, but of course that doesn't necessarily mean that he's her father's brother, and I'm totally sold that he's the one she and Ganju are talking about not liking that they're sending Ichigo to the Soul King's Palace.

The Shiba had never been a noble family like the Kuchiki, even when they held their full status as one of the Five Great Noble Families. They’d always been more focused on the bonds they created and on living lives they could be proud of than with antiquated ideas of custom and courtesy.

Even if Ichigo hadn’t _clearly_ been a Shiba at sight, his willingness to break centuries-old laws and traditions to do what he knew was right for _his_ _people_ would have tipped her off.

She appreciated that Yoruichi hadn’t tried to lie when asked.

She’d kicked her uncle’s ass for making them think he was _dead_ for _years_ the first time they’d seen each other after _that_ revelation.

And now Isshin was visiting like that was just a _thing_ he _did_.

“Kuukaku-sama, thank you very much for agreeing to see me,” he said, bowing.

Kuukaku scowled. “Don’t be weird, old man. You were never this respectful before you left, and you haven’t seemed much better about it since. It’s unnatural.”

Isshin grinned at that. “You were barely clan head when I…left. Of course I would be more respectful of you now.”

Kuukaku gave him a flat look. He cleared his throat.

“I thought that now things have settled, I might bring up to you the issue of my children.”

Child _ren_. Interesting. “I would think Ichigo would want to speak for himself.”

Isshin nodded. “He can, and I don’t interfere in his life. But there are some matters the head of the family should take up. And there’s the girls.”

“Ichigo’s already been entered in the family register,” she said. “I haven’t heard much about the girls.”

“They aren’t Shinigami like Ichigo,” he said plainly. “They’re entirely human, as far as I can tell, though Karin is spiritually aware.”

Kuukaku hummed. “That complicates things. I’ll add them to the register, but I don’t know that I can give them the same privileges if they can’t come here in person. And as for after they die, well…”

Isshin grimaced. “You’d make a father contemplate such things?”

She didn’t point out how often he’d had to contemplate his son’s death or good-as-death; that was too callous even for her. “It’s a practical consideration. And there’s no other reason to put them on the register than to give them protections when they come here.”

“It’s difficult to say,” Isshin said. “We don’t know what the effects of them having a human mother and a humanized Shinigami father will be after their deaths. If there will be any at all. I can’t even say whether Ichigo will have the lifespan of a Shinigami now or of a human.”

“What does Urahara have to say about it?”

Isshin froze. That was odd; as far as she knew they’d been quite close allies since Isshin had gone to the Human World if nothing else.

“He doesn’t know either, though he suspects Ichigo’s lifespan will be more in line with a Shinigami’s. He can’t say, apparently, when it comes to Karin and Yuzu. Not enough data.”

“Ah, too bad,” Kuukaku said.

“And there was another reason I came,” Isshin went on. “Ichigo told me recently that he’s…involved with someone. And it’s serious.”

“Ohhhh?” Kuukaku said, grinning. “That Inoue girl, finally? You wanted to make sure Ichigo could enter her on the family registry as well?”

“Um, not exactly,” Isshin said. “It’s…well…Kisuke.”

Kuukaku was honestly caught off guard by that. She stared.

“Urahara Kisuke,” Isshin said, as if her lack of response was because she hadn’t understood.

“ _When_?” she demanded. “Last I knew Ichigo had a pretty girl following him around that everyone knew was in love with him and Urahara was just his mentor. _When_ did this happen, and _why was I not informed_?”

Isshin had fallen out of seiza scrambling away from her. He stared. “Ichigo’s been hanging around the Urahara Shouten lately a lot,” he said, somewhat feebly. “Honestly, it was a bit of a surprise but it makes sense.” He pulled himself together and looked into her eyes with the beginnings of a frown, which emphasized his resemblance to his son. “Is this going to be a problem, Kuukaku-sama?”

She scowled at him. He didn’t get to hide his children from his clan and then try to make a big deal about their being accepted. But she wouldn’t take that out on Ichigo. “Of course not,” she snapped, but then paused. “Actually, I’m going to have to talk to Yoruichi about Urahara’s place in regards to the Shihouin clan.” She paused, considering the implications, then cackled. “Oh, this might be the best dynastic match the Shiba have made in _years_. Ichigo’s going to _hate_ that.”

“Oh no,” Isshin cut in, “I don’t interfere in Ichigo’s life. He can’t know I came to tell you about this.”

Kuukaku waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll get it out of Yoruichi,” she said. “I’m sure she knows.”

That pained look was going a long way to getting Isshin back into her good books. She smirked as he groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuukaku has fewer reservations than Yoruichi did, but the most basic element of their shock is the same, that is, how is it they didn't see this coming???? They should always be entirely informed about this kind of thing. Outrageous.
> 
> Also Isshin is realizing he might have just accidentally married Ichigo off, which was not at all his intention. This is exactly the part of clan life he was glad to leave behind. He's never getting involved again if this is what it leads to.
> 
> Sorry for the total lack of Ichigo and Kisuke in this one! I like to space out the really fluffy bits, so I wanted a breather after last chapter. Let me know if you enjoyed the ficlet regardless!


	25. Ladder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rukia's back! I told myself I had to include an actual literal ladder in this one, and as the epilogue made clear, they were just finishing up rebuilding ten years after the Quincy Blood War, so two and a half years after they should still be in the thick of it. So the setting is Soul Society, and Rukia is present.
> 
> This is after chapter 23, Knowledge.

Ichigo reached out and grabbed a tipping ladder just in time; he held it steady as the man at the top caught his breath. Rukia scowled next to him and started chastising the workers around them for nearly letting the accident happen.

“It’s fine, Rukia,” he interrupted. “Leave it.”

She huffed, but the men she’d been yelling at gave him grateful looks and got back to their business.

“I wasn’t overreacting; they were really being negligent!” she protested.

“Yeah, but it worked out,” Ichigo said. She gave him a look, but dropped it.

“So how long can you stay to help out?”

“Just the afternoon. I have to get back to my _actual_ job, you know,” Ichigo replied, smirking a little as Rukia scoffed. She made no move to help him with the ladder; the worker at the top kept shooting glances down at them, but no one had said anything so Ichigo continued on with his task.

“ _I’m_ the one that provided relief for your ' _actual job'_ so you could come visit, you know,” she said. “I know exactly how long it is before Takahashi has to come back.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, actually, what have you been _saying_ to that guy? He still looks terrified of me whenever I see him in person.”

Rukia snorted. “That’s not terror, Ichigo. He admires you deeply; he’s probably just intimidated.”

Ichigo blinked a few times, processing that. “What? Why?”

“Why does he admire you or why is he intimidated?” Rukia asked with a sly smile. “I think it’s obvious either way, isn’t it?”

“Whatever,” Ichigo huffed. “It’s weird, that’s all.”

“Not _so_ weird, surely, that he’d look up to you? A lot of the regular soldiers around here do.”

Ichigo made a face, and Rukia smiled, nicer about it this time.

“You never change, do you?” she said, half to herself from the sound of it. Ichigo looked away. He was always vaguely uncomfortable when she got all soft.

But all softness was forgotten as she seemed to recall her previous complaint. “Anyway, you didn’t say before, what’s calling you back to the World of the Living so soon? Takahashi is approved to stay through the morning.”

“I have to sleep sometime,” Ichigo protested, but it was weak and he knew it.

Rukia was looking at him with narrow, calculating eyes. It had been a mistake to try to put her off; now she wasn’t going to drop it.

Well. He’d been thinking of how to approach her about this anyway.

“I have plans with Kisuke,” he said.

“Plans,” Rukia repeated in a flat voice. “Secret plans.”

“I mean,” Ichigo said, scratching at his face with one hand. He could feel himself getting red. “Not secret, exactly. Just, um—”

“Oh!” Rukia said suddenly, “ _Those_ kind of plans.”

“What did you think I meant?” he asked, momentarily distracted from his embarrassment.

“Well, you’ve invaded Soul Society once and Hueco Mundo at least twice using his technology,” she said with a shrug. “Not to mention the Soul King’s Palace. You can’t blame me for being suspicious that you might be starting another war.”

“I was _invited_ the second time I went to Hueco Mundo,” Ichigo protested. “Nel came to get me specifically.”

“Yes, but it had been conquered by an invading army at the time,” Rukia said, as if this were a legitimate point. “So you were invading from their point of view.”

There was a sudden clatter, and a few tiles fell from the roof and shattered. They looked up; the worker at the top of the ladder Ichigo was holding stared down at them with wide eyes.

After Rukia had called over someone else to take over ladder-holding duties, and they had both firmly disavowed any treasonous intentions to everyone in earshot, they continued on their way.

“So,” Rukia drawled. “ _Plans_.”

“Yeah,” Ichigo said, the break in the conversation having let him recover his composure. “Fine, yeah, you were sort of right about us.”

“I’ll take it,” she said, and they walked in companionable silence for a few moments. “You’re happy, though?”

“I am,” Ichigo said, and he could feel that stupid smile he got whenever this topic came up, but he could do nothing to stop it.

“That’s fine, then. The two of you suit each other. In a weird way, but still.” Ichigo rolled his eyes. That had been Karin’s ultimate opinion, too.

“Thanks, I guess,” he said, and he knew that she wasn’t fooled by his tone from the way she smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personally I like to think this story's literally happening at the same time as last chapter, but that part doesn't really matter. I just love the juxtaposition of Ichigo declaring he's happy with Kuukaku plotting how to make his life complicated at the exact same time.
> 
> Shunsui hears that there were people loudly declaring they were not plotting treason and thought it was suspicious, but then he heard it was Ichigo and Rukia and thought no, that tracks.
> 
> This one was a lot of fun for me, so I hope you liked it! Let me know if you enjoyed the ficlet!


	26. Pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's way harder than I thought it would be to create a consistent narrative for the whole month while writing by the seat of my pants. Which is to say, this story makes brief reference to the I guess general concept of chapter 9, Recipe, and directly references (and happens directly after) chapter 23, Knowledge.
> 
> That is, Ichigo is planning to tell his family about his relationship with Kisuke. Yuzu has had suspicions about it since at least his first break from university, which at this point would be about a year and a half before this ficlet. I was really hazy on timeline earlier on, though, so that might be variable.
> 
> So! On with the ficlet.

Yuzu rushed home after school; Onii-chan was meant to be coming back today. She was hoping he might be there when she arrived, but when she knocked on his bedroom door and peeked in, it looked like he’d just dropped his bags off and left.

She pushed aside her disappointment as she put away her own things. He’d be back for dinner at least, surely, so she’d see him then.

And, well…she had some idea of where he might be. Who he might be with. She couldn’t get annoyed about _that_.

So to distract herself, she decided to bake something nice to welcome Ichigo home.

She was in the middle of chilling the pie crust and making the filling when she heard the door open and Onii-chan called out, “I’m home!”

“Welcome back!” Yuzu cried, abandoning her baking and running to greet him.

He settled at the table when she went back to continue making the filling. “Did you have a good semester?” she asked.

“Yeah, it was busy but it went well,” he answered. “How’s school going with you?”

“Really well!” she said. “I’m fifth in my class!”

“That’s really great, Yuzu,” he said, and he was looking at her and smiling and it felt like she might burst she was so happy.

“Where were you this afternoon?” she asked, wanting to keep talking to him, to keep him engaged. She’d even talk about the ghost business if he wanted.

“Oh, um, I was at Kisuke’s,” he said, and the hesitance and awkward tone were enough to make her look over at him. Was he…blushing?

“Oh?” she asked, careful to keep all insinuations out of her voice.

“Yeah, actually, I have something I want to tell you.”

And then Karin burst into the house, home from her soccer practice. Yuzu held back and let her and Ichigo greet each other, but she couldn’t help the annoyance she felt at Karin’s timing.

Karin went upstairs to clean up, and Ichigo sat back down. Maybe all wasn’t lost quite yet.

“What were you saying, Onii-chan?”

He looked up at her, but then craned his neck to look at the stairs. “We’ll wait for Karin. I don’t want to have to explain this more than I have to.”

She subsided with a pout, but she didn’t have long to wait. For all Karin’s teasing about Yuzu’s devotion to their brother, she could be just as eager to spend time with him when he allowed it. Karin came down and settled in next to Ichigo; they chatted about her practice for a few moments, and Yuzu tried not to get impatient.

But he might have noticed her glances.

“So,” he said at last, and Yuzu paused from laying the crust in the pie plate. “I have something to tell you.”

“What?” Karin asked, looking between Ichigo and Yuzu. “You’re acting weird, Ichi-nii.”

“Karin-chan,” Yuzu chided, but left it there at the look Ichigo cut over at her.

“This is important. To me,” Ichigo said haltingly. “I’ve been…kind of seeing someone. For a while now.”

Yuzu’s breath caught in her throat. She’d been _right_.

“Oh?” Karin said, interested but only vaguely. “Well, good for you. It’s about time. Who is it? Anyone we know?”

“Is it Urahara-san?” Yuzu asked on the heels of Karin’s question. Her tone was maybe a little rushed; both of her siblings were looking over at her, wide-eyed.

Karin’s look melted into skepticism; Ichigo’s into a weird sort of sheepish relief.

“ _Urahara-san_? That weird shopkeeper?” Karin demanded.

“Yeah,” Ichigo said.

It took a second for Karin to realize Ichigo had answered Yuzu and not her; in the time it took to process Yuzu beamed at Ichigo, and said, “I’m so glad you finally told us!”

“Finally?” Karin demanded. “Wait, how long has this been going on? And how long have _you_ known?” The last bit was directed at Yuzu.

“It’s kind of complicated. At least a few months,” Ichigo said.

“At least since Onii-chan had his first summer break from university,” Yuzu said, which got incredulous looks again.

“You knew all that time and didn’t tell me?” Karin said.

“Not nearly as long as you knew about him being a Shinigami and didn’t tell _me_ ,” Yuzu answered, and it might have escalated but Ichigo cut in.

“Well I’m telling you both now,” he said quellingly. They subsided.

“Seriously, though, _Urahara-san_?” Karin said.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. “He acts like that on purpose. And honestly it’s kind of funny when he does it to other people.”

Karin grumbled, but seemed to accept it. “But he’s a Shinigami,” she said, this time quieter and with less hostility.

It struck Yuzu that maybe even if Karin _could_ see the things their brother fought, that didn’t mean she felt like that part of his life included her.

Ichigo sighed and looked between the two of them. “So’s Oyaji. And so am I.”

Yuzu looked at him in shock. They never talked about that. Otousan had sat them down and told them after some huge incident she still didn’t understand that year Ichigo had missed their visit to Okaasan’s grave.

But it wasn’t something they ever talked about.

Ichigo shifted uncomfortably, and rubbed a hand through his hair. “Look, I…I really, really like him, okay? And I think maybe this is _it_ for me. So.”

“And he feels the same?” Yuzu asked. Karin was silent, still.

Ichigo smiled. It was that same smile she saw whenever he talked about Urahara-san. The same smile that had made her sure in the first place that her brother was in love. “Yeah, I think he does,” he said.

Karin huffed, but in the way that meant she wasn’t going to argue anymore. “He better,” was all she said, and Yuzu smiled to herself, and got back to finishing her pie.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with why he didn’t charge me for Hollow-fighting gear when you lost your powers, does it?” Karin asked suddenly, and Yuzu had to giggle at Ichigo’s spluttered denials.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuzu knows full well what Shinigami are and do, and more or less how Ichigo's involved, but as she's the least spiritually aware member of their family it's honestly a bit of a sore point for her. It's something she can't be part of even in the way Karin can. So she refers to it as "ghost business" and doesn't like to talk about it much. I tried to hint at that in a couple other ficlets but I don't know how well I got it across!
> 
> It's been way too long since I wrote Karin and/or Yuzu, and I don't think I've written the three of them together at all yet, so this was nice. Honestly Kisuke was supposed to be in this one but then I wanted to write the Ichigo-tells-his-sisters scene too much so you got this instead. Having Isshin involved made it way too complicated and everyone was going off on too many tangents. So Ichigo tells Isshin separately.
> 
> Next time my goal is actual interaction between Kisuke and Ichigo.
> 
> Please let me know if you enjoyed the ficlet!


	27. Accident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was going to be much more angsty but I figured that wouldn't fit the tone I'd set. It ended up more domestic than anything, but I'm happy with it!
> 
> Unspecified point of time when Ichigo is in Karakura Town and after he and Kisuke have established they are in fact actively participating in a relationship.

Ichigo was trying to sneak by him. Kisuke frowned, and carefully didn’t look up or tense as he listened harder to his movements, reaching out cautiously with his reiatsu.

Nothing _seemed_ overly amiss.

He turned to confront Ichigo, already calling out his name, when he stopped abruptly.

Ichigo’s arm was splinted and wrapped.

Kisuke stared for a second, honestly surprised. Ichigo rarely got injured anymore when fighting; even when sparring with extremely skilled and powerful opponents—such as Kisuke himself—he tended to only suffer minor injuries.

There had been no bursts of reiatsu, no fluctuations that would signify a fight of _that_ caliber. Had Ichigo been ambushed? Everyone knew reiatsu sensing wasn’t Ichigo’s strongest suit, but he’d gotten _much_ better than he ever revealed in so many words after his training at the Soul King's Palace.

But Ichigo was speaking before Kisuke’s mind could spiral too far. “Okay, before you say anything,” he started, and his tone was more sheepish than anything. Oh. Probably not an emergency, then. “It’s not a big deal, it was just an accident, and I was going to ask Tessai-san to heal it for me.”

Kisuke was missing something. He blinked a few times in a show of confusion. “Were you…concerned about worrying me?” he asked, which was obviously ludicrous. He’d seen Ichigo suffer injuries much worse than this; it was a simple application of kaidou that Tessai could do in his sleep.

Ichigo sighed deeply. “ _No_ ,” he said, and he sounded offended. Which was unfair, as Kisuke was relatively certain he wasn’t actually in the wrong. “I should’ve known better than to try to hide something from you,” Ichigo muttered. He stared off to the side and continued, “There was an incident. With a car.”

This was doing nothing to clear things up. “ _You_ broke your arm in a _car accident_?” The delivery might have been slightly theatrical, but the bemusement was real.

Ichigo groaned and came over, dropping down next to Kisuke, who frowned slightly. Ichigo might be used to being injured, but having a broken bone jarred like that would still hurt.

“I made a stupid mistake,” he grumbled. Kisuke reached over and placed a hand over Ichigo’s arm, beginning to channel kaidou. Ichigo continued, “There was a kid in the road about to get hit by a car. So I had to save him.” Of course he did. “But I was…slower than expected. The car clipped me.”

That might actually be a cause for concern. “Slower than expected?”

“Yeah. Felt like I was dragging a little.”

“Hmm.” Kisuke focused for a moment on the kaidou, turning over possibilities in his mind. “Were you in human form?”

“Yeah. A bunch of people saw and made me go to the hospital. Ishida-san still gets that twitch when I call him ojisan.”

Kisuke smirked, momentarily diverted. Everyone always underestimated Ichigo’s sense of humor. “That might be it. You should pay attention in your next fights and let me know if you notice anything off, though.” He lifted his hand off Ichigo’s arm, and Ichigo flexed his fingers, already starting to unwrap the bandages.

“I will,” he said, and leaned in a little against Kisuke’s side for a moment. “Thanks, Kisuke.”

“Any time,” Kisuke said, leaning back into him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't meant to be some ominous plot point starting in the antepenultimate chapter; Kisuke's pretty much right about what was happening.
> 
> I didn't actually mention this, but Orihime's away on a trip, or Ichigo would have gone straight to her. It's mostly wanting to look not-incompetent in front of his boyfriend and a little bit knowing Kisuke will not let him live this down.
> 
> I've only got two ficlets left in the month! I have vague ideas what I'm doing for both but the story might still surprise me.
> 
> Please let me know if you enjoyed the ficlet!


	28. River

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, it's _Bleach_ and the prompt word is _river_. I knew I was doing something like this from the first time I saw the list. It's a more somber tone than most of the rest of this, but hopefully not too jarring!
> 
> This is something of a jump forward; it's Ichigo's summer break of his third year at university, but I think the last time the timeline mattered it was the spring break between his second and third year, so that's not too bad.
> 
> I probably should have mentioned this way, way earlier, but I'm basing Ichigo's academic calendar around this, which is the calendar for English-language students from Tokyo University.

“Hey, Ofukuro,” Ichigo said, staring down at his mother’s grave. “It’s been a while. I’m sorry I haven’t come these past few years.”

He’d been putting it off. It was stupid; he knew his mother’s soul wasn’t here, didn’t like to think about what had happened to it. He was doing nothing more than talking to a symbol and a memory.

Honestly, that only made it worse.

He took a deep breath and pressed on. “I killed him, you know. The man responsible for your death. I don’t know if that helped or not, really, but he’s dead and I think it gave Oyaji some peace.”

His feelings about that had been…complicated. There was a certain amount of relief, having done it, but it hadn’t changed his feelings about his mother’s death. It hadn’t really shifted that weight of responsibility he still felt.

So he’d used the excuse of his university classes to avoid coming the next time. And the next. And now here he was, having missed the family trip in June but finally feeling like it was time to come back.

“The girls are doing well,” he said. “Karin’s terrifying her teammates and opponents in soccer, and Yuzu’s grades are amazing. You’d be really proud of them, I think. I’m doing all right; my degree is going well.” He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky for a moment. “And I…I’m in love.”

It was the first time he’d said it out loud. He’d known for years now that it was true, and he was fairly sure Kisuke knew and even returned his feelings, but they’d never _said_ it. The furthest even his family and friends had come to asking was to confirm that he was happy.

It felt good. He was smiling a little as he went on. “You met him, actually, though I think only once. He saved you. And I don’t know if you’d like him, exactly, but I think you’d get it. How this feels, how… _sure_ I am.” He paused, and looked down for a few moments, collecting his thoughts.

“I am sure, you know. Kisuke’s who I want to be with. And I wanted you to know that.” Ichigo could feel tears welling up; he thought he’d gotten over this part. But he wanted her to be here. He wanted her to have been present during the awkward conversation with his father when he’d explained his relationship to him. He wanted her to know Kisuke and to be able to see in her eyes whether she approved or not.

But she wasn’t.

He bowed to the grave and left the cemetery, meandering slowly to collect himself before he got home. He found himself at the riverbank and sat in the grass, watching the water flow by.

He had good memories associated with this place, with the people he loved, friends and family alike. It was enough, most of the time, to help him forget the weight of his mother’s body over him, the warmth of her blood that night.

Ichigo sat there for a long time; the sun was sinking near the horizon by the time he got up. But his eyes were dry, and he didn’t regret his visit.

He’d try to take time off to go on the annual family visit next year.

Maybe by then it wouldn’t feel awkward to bring Kisuke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo, anytime your dad and Kisuke are in the same place is going to feel awkward probably for the rest of all your lives. But they'll push through because they love you.
> 
> I should say I try not to put in too much gratuitous Japanese, but I figure names and what characters call each other do carry different shades of meaning. So I hope it's not pulling anyone out of the story when I do stuff like have Ichigo call his parents "Ofukuro" and "Oyaji" in his dialogue but call them his mom and dad in the narration.
> 
> Thank goodness I've cleared all these things up on the second to last ficlet, right?
> 
> So this one was really self-indulgent as far as my tendencies to have characters spend paragraphs navel-gazing. I hope you enjoyed it regardless! Please let me know if you did!
> 
> Also tomorrow is _it_. I'm hoping to leave you on a high note. Let's see if the writing cooperates.


	29. Government

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! I did it! The final ficlet. I really hope you like it!
> 
> I told you once the last word on my list was in no way romantic, but I hope I managed it all the same. A slightly loose interpretation of the word, but I don't want to spoil it by explaining the connection here. Plus I get to tie up a loose end from a previous ficlet.
> 
> This takes place at the end. I'm picturing later in the summer break of Ichigo's third year, so a couple weeks after yesterday's ficlet, but as long as it's after everything else in the story has happened, it could be whenever.

It started with Yoruichi.

Ichigo had gone to the Urahara Shouten after an evening patrol, like he usually did.

 _Un_ usually, Yoruichi met him in the darkened shop area, standing just outside the shogi doors and smirking with her arms crossed.

“So. Ichigo,” she said, as Ichigo came to a stop in front of her.

“Hey, Yoruichi-san,” he said, because she didn’t always need to have her dramatics humored. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yes, and there have certainly been _developments_ since that time, haven’t there?” she said. Obviously she was talking about him and Kisuke; she didn’t sound outright disapproving so much as sly.

But then no one could pull of an innuendo-laden tone like Yoruichi.

“Yeah,” Ichigo said, eyeing her cautiously. He wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

Her smirk widened. “Well then, what are your intentions with my ward?”

“I’m going to figure out a way to keep you trapped as a cat!” Kisuke called from inside as Ichigo blinked, nonplussed.

“Your _what_?”

Yoruichi laughed as Kisuke came out to join them, smiling at Ichigo in greeting and pointedly not looking at Yoruichi. Ichigo smiled back, but looked between them in confusion.

“Seriously, what?”

“ _Technically_ ,” Kisuke said, “when we were children, I was taken in as a ward of the Shihouin household. My official legal standing was never really clarified after I came of age, and then with the Hollowfication incident it seemed like a moot point; I’d have gotten kicked out for getting Yoruichi-san in trouble anyway. There is definitely a solid argument as to why I am not, in fact, in any way officially affiliated with the Shihouin House anymore, and even if I was I wouldn’t be a ward, and my standing would be in relation to Yuushirou-san, _not_ Yoruichi-san.” He finally looked over at Yoruichi to glare at her.

Ichigo kept staring. “That doesn’t actually tell me why.”

“In fairness, you didn’t ask _why_ ,” Kisuke said, and Ichigo rolled his eyes and pushed past both of them to enter. Yoruichi had stopped laughing at some point and had been looking between the two of them as they spoke; she didn’t seem to be hostile, or even annoyed, so Ichigo was still unsure what had prompted the odd exchange.

“I’ve had some interesting conversations with Kuukaku lately,” Yoruichi said, and Kisuke pulled his hat down to obscure his eyes. Great. Ichigo wasn’t going to like this.

“Conversations?” Ichigo asked with a sinking feeling. Yoruichi was enjoying herself way too much and Kisuke still wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Mm-hmm. We agree it’ll be way easier to have Kisuke entered on the Shiba family register rather than you entered on the Shihouin register, even if the Shiba are no longer one of the Great Noble Families. For one thing, you’re definitely _on_ the Shiba register and Kisuke was never entered for the Shihouin, and technically being a blood member of the family is a stronger claim considering Kisuke was never actually adopted, so it works out best that way. But Shihouin can still go in as Kisuke’s original clan, so it’ll still count as a clan alliance.”

“Wait, you told Kuukaku about us?” Ichigo said, his brows drawing down over his eyes. That was way easier to latch on to than what Yoruichi was actually talking about, which sounded awfully close to marriage, and why Kisuke seemed so annoyed and withdrawn.

“Oh, she knew already,” Yoruichi said, “though she tried to make me think I was the one to tell her. Her questions were way too pointed to not have any idea of the information she was fishing for.”

If Yoruichi hadn’t told Kuukaku, the most likely culprit would have to be…

“Excuse me,” he said, “I think I need to go _beat my father unconscious_.”

“Wait, Ichigo—” Kisuke said, but Ichigo was already leaving. He didn’t need to hear Kisuke explain why this was all a joke and not something worth taking seriously. Not when he had barely begun having certain musings of his own.

~*~

Kisuke turned to Yoruichi, who was giving the door Ichigo had left through a thoughtful look.

“That really wasn’t the best approach, Yoruichi-san,” he said mildly, and she turned with maybe a very slight hint of sheepishness in her eyes.

“He’ll be back,” she said simply, and Kisuke knew she was right, but…well. That hadn’t been a very…encouraging response.

Too late now. Ichigo in _that_ mood wouldn’t take well to being chased after.

He was so engrossed in looking at the door and contemplating how he should approach this that he didn’t really register Yoruichi examining him.

“I’m going to head out,” she said, and he glanced over at her, startled. “We both know Isshin will send him back tonight. Whatever comes next should be between the two of you.”

Kisuke frowned slightly, but nodded. He bade her goodbye and settled in to wait.

~*~

Ichigo slammed the door open and immediately hollered, “What the _hell_ , Oyaji?”

“What? What’d I do?” Isshin replied, sticking his head out into the entryway. The sound of Don Kanonji’s latest show followed him into the hallway.

“You couldn’t just let me tell _my_ cousin about _my_ relationship?” he demanded, and he knew he’d been right when his dad immediately started looking shifty.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said with no conviction whatsoever. Ichigo made a frustrated sound and started advancing, and he backed up quickly, admitting, “Okay, yes, I do know, but it was an accident! I just went to get some information for you, for all three of you,” he said, gesturing back at the twins, who had come out to investigate the fight, “and she wormed it out of me. You’d rather I told her the truth than leave her thinking you were marrying Inoue-chan, right?”

Ichigo stopped and stared. “I thought you’d just told her about me and Kisuke. Now you’re saying you’re the one who started _that_ , too?” Even his father had thought this was something worth joking about? He should’ve known, the man never took anything seriously—

“Started what?” Yuzu asked, staring between them with anxious eyes.

“Yoruichi-san was at the shop tonight basically planning our wedding!” Ichigo said. “I haven’t even talked to Kisuke about that kind of thing yet! And there she was, plotting out how this would be some kind of union of the houses of Kiba and Shihouin, and—”

“Wait, _have_ you thought about it, then?” Karin asked. Her expression was bored but there was a weird light in her eyes. Yuzu gasped and her eyes went starry.

His dad was watching him warily, but didn’t seem at all surprised.

Ichigo really hadn’t thought this was a conversation he’d be having with his family first. He’d hoped to have it with Kisuke.

“I’ve thought about it,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure what it would look like, what, you know, marriage was like in Soul Society, but I want it with him, if it’s possible.”

His dad had relaxed a little. “I was trying to figure that out for you,” he said. “You know how Kuukaku-sama is. She wanted a name.”

Ichigo glared, but the urge to fight had left him. He’d been serious about it. Ichigo felt more relieved than was probably reasonable, but it was good to know someone else had looked at them and thought it was a reasonable conclusion. “You should have let me go.”

Isshin struck a ridiculous pose with his hands on his hips, gazing into the middle distance with what Ichigo was pretty sure was supposed to be a noble expression. “It’s my duty as the head of this family—”

Karin groaned loudly even as Ichigo told him to shut up.

There was a pause that Karin broke. “Wait, did you just storm out as soon as the idea came up, Ichi-nii?”

“Yeah?”

“And left Kisuke-san behind without saying anything?” Yuzu put in, looking distressed.

Ichigo shifted, wincing slightly. “He didn’t seem to like the idea,” he said.

Karin scowled immediately, and demanded, “Did he actually _say_ anything?” Yuzu looked like she was about to cry, but his dad stepped forward with a serious expression.

“You can’t run away from that conversation because you’re scared, Ichigo. You’re a better man than that.”

“I didn’t run away!” he protested. “And anyway, it wasn’t a conversation, it was Yoruichi-san making a joke.”

“Then maybe you should try talking to Kisuke-san about it?” Yuzu suggested, staring at him with her big eyes. “Maybe he was upset by the teasing, too, and not by the thought of marrying you?”

Ichigo looked at the ground. “Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll go back.” It was going to be embarrassing, but they were right. He paused as the girls headed back to continue watching tv. His dad stayed in the hallway.

“Hey,” he said. “When did you know you’d have to ask Kuukaku-san about the marriage thing?”

His dad chuckled. “As soon as you told me you were in a relationship,” he said. “I’ve known since you were a teenager that the first person you introduced us to was going to be the person you married. You’re like your old man in that way; when you finally fall in love, that’s it for you.”

Ichigo nodded, thinking of his mother, of the fact that for all his dad’s perversion there really hadn’t been anyone else since, and turned to leave. “Thanks, Oyaji,” he said without looking back.

~*~

When Ichigo got back to the Urahara Shouten, he found Yoruichi had left and Kisuke was waiting for him in the darkened store.

“Hey,” he said.

“Welcome back,” Kisuke replied. He smiled a little, but his eyes looked wary. Ichigo’s stomach dropped.

“Ah, sorry about leaving abruptly,” he said. “I had to sort some stuff out with my old man.”

Kisuke laughed a little. “I’d apologize for Yoruichi-san, but you know her well enough by now to know I had no chance of stopping her in the first place.”

Ichigo walked over and somewhat hesitantly sat down next to him. Kisuke looked over at him out of the corner of his eye.

“You shouldn’t mind what she said,” Kisuke continued. “She just thinks it’s funny that the two of us of all people may have accidentally made a politically expedient match.”

“I didn’t mind it,” Ichigo said, and he deserved that frankly disbelieving look. “But it seemed like you minded it. Also I really did have to clear up with my dad why he was sharing _my_ business with other people.”

Kisuke’s eyes kindled. “I didn’t mind it. And I don’t think it counts as 'other people' when it’s your clan head he’s talking to. Now, Kuukaku-san, on the other hand…”

Ichigo smiled a bit at that, and sat back, thinking over what Kisuke had said. “So did you not mind the teasing, or did you not mind the concept?” he asked.

Kisuke stilled. “Ichigo?”

“I just wondered what you thought of the idea of you and I…I guess getting married? I’m still not clear on the way it works.”

“Well, you don’t even have a proper job yet; young men really shouldn’t be contemplating marriage until they can support a household—”

“You’re so annoying,” Ichigo said, rolling his eyes and elbowing Kisuke in the side. Kisuke laughed, and Ichigo worried for a minute that he wasn’t taking this seriously, but he wasn’t closed down the way he’d been when Yoruichi had been there. That was a good sign. “Seriously, though, is that something you’ve thought about? For us?”

“In the abstract, I suppose,” Kisuke said, settling in a little closer. Another good sign. “I’ve been meaning to bring up the paperwork we might have to fill out with the Gotei 13, as I’m meant to be officially liaising with you and they like to keep an eye on the unofficial liaising.” Ichigo groaned at the joke, and Kisuke smirked before growing serious again, continuing, “I intend to stay with you as long as I can. The terminology, the legalities…those matter less to me.”

“Would you consider it? Marrying me?”

“Is this a proposal?” Kisuke sounded a bit hesitant.

Ichigo rubbed his face. “This is _not_ a proposal, okay? Even I can see this would be a terrible proposal. It’s just…a conversation. About there maybe being a proposal.”

Kisuke laughed a little. “I think if there’s going to be a proposal I should leave you in suspense for my answer.”

Ichigo sighed deeply. He should have known better than to try and get a straightforward answer out of Kisuke. But he smiled a little too; he was fairly certain of what Kisuke’s answer was all the same.

He smiled and turned to face him head-on. “Hey,” he said, and Kisuke looked over.

“Hmm?”

“I love you, you know,” he said for the first time. Kisuke’s eyes went wide, and then the corners of his mouth turned up. Ichigo lifted a hand to Kisuke’s neck, leaning in.

“I love you too,” Kisuke said, just before their lips met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, Ichigo, how dare you of all people denigrate someone for being overly dramatic.
> 
> Second, the way the prompt word connects is that when they get married, they'll have to do paperwork to register it with the government, so. It's a bit loose, but a lot of these have been and as I'm the one that set the challenge, I get to make the rules and I think it's fine.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, and extra thanks to those who left kudos! And a thousand thanks to the people who reviewed, and especially to the people who reviewed multiple chapters. I can't say how much your words mean to me.
> 
> As ever, if you liked the story, please let me know!


End file.
